Last night I recorded my next podcast episode, entitled “Farewell Fear.” I rolled through a pretty polished 45-minute show, recording in the comfort of my make-shift studio in my closet. Feeling excited about it, I took my laptop and recording into bed to edit only to find that none of it had actually recorded. I had 45 minutes of nothing.
Bummed at first, I instantly thought about how much time I had just wasted; but, before I allowed my frustration to take over my night, I took the idea of frustration and mentally stomped on it. I had just had an uninterrupted public speaking practice session, so really, whether or not I came out with a product, I had lost nothing and only gained much needed experience.
Every time that we have the opportunity to practice something in our daily lives we should be thankful. My run this morning was an extension of last night’s recording session in the lesson of practice. I was assigned an 8.5 mile hill workout at specific heart rate zones, and, to put it simply, the workout kicked my butt. My pace was nowhere near where I wanted it to be and my heart rate average was 20 beats per minute higher than normal. It was a hard workout, and a day in which my body was just “off.” The most amazing thing about running is that whether it’s a good run or a bad run, by the time you are done, it’s always a good one. We should look at every “practice opportunity” in life with the same gratitude and patience towards ourselves, because every time we practice is one step closer to being the best version of ourselves possible.
It is our decision as to how we look at our practice (be them physical, athletic, mental, or emotional) opportunities. For me, I have decided that every practice is going to be a good practice because, whether good or bad, it is always making me better, little by little.