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Dear Friends,
We've ushered in a New Year. We've reflected on and let go of all that transpired in the past year and opened our eyes and hearts to the Awe-Inspiring Opportunities that await us in the days, weeks, & months ahead.
We talked through Summer & Autumn about Dharma, your Life's Purpose. About the importance of listening to the calling of your heart and finding your dharma and living your life ON PURPOSE, aligned with your Dharma.
But that's not enough.
Once your dharma is understood, your task is then to dedicate yourself to it. To create a Deliberate Practice in order to gain MASTERY of your gift. It's a lot like the practice of yoga. To gain mastery of your yoga practice, talking about it won't suffice. Haphazardly practicing whenever it fits or doesn't fit into your schedule won't be enough. It requires dedication and conviction, and a steady consistent return to the mat many times a week if not daily, to develop the kind of mastery of this art that will truly change your life in a positive and expansive way.
Of course the truth is, that anything you dedicate yourself to, you will become better at and you will gain proficiency in; Be it playing an instrument, playing a sport, cooking, in art, and even in relationship.
Deliberate Practice.
It's not just boring repetition of the tasks of artistry. It is instead a kind of sustained engagement in the work that is aimed specifically at understanding and improving the work. It is an intentional breaking down of the tasks of any undertaking into smaller and smaller components to see precisely how they work. And it results in steady and incremental improvements in performance.
Here are the factors required for Expert Practice:
- Sustained and intensive practice of a skill for several hours a day
- Practice with the specific intention of improving not just repeating
- Practice that is sustained in this manner for a number of years-in most cases as many as 10 years
- Practice that includes a particular mechanism by which the results of the practice can be evaluated and improved upon in future sessions
- The intentional inclusion of teachers, guides, and other pairs of expert eyes commenting on progress
- Appropriate care paid to the essential ingredient of "recovery time" so there is energy to engage in the same intense practice again the next day
- A considerable amount of time spent immersed in the world of the art~~talking about it with others, getting support for the lifestyle of the artist
(please read Stephen Cope's "The Great Work of Your Life")
Deliberate Practice. This is what separates those who continue to move forward and feel good about the process of Mastery from those who are frustrated and lose steam and struggle to maintain any kind of momentum in the search for improvement and refinement of their art, whatever it may be. As we are just beginning this New Year, consider again what your Gift is, what makes you unique and special. And then reflect on ways in which you might discipline yourself towards a Dedicated Practice in support of your Gift. The benefits of this kind of practice will not only dramatically improve the quality of your art, but will also Empower you in your life and confirm for you how much you are actually capable of doing PARTICULARLY when it is in support of your true calling, your personal gift, your Dharma. Be Deliberate in your practices, and what you practice you will attract. Practice judgement, criticism, anger and fear? That is what you will attract into your life. Practice compassion, kindness, forgiveness and patience? Try it and see what happens. With wishes for a growthful and empowering New Year, Ben | 
