Practice Makes Progress (NOT Perfect)
Should we challenge words and ideas that we have been hearing our whole lives? What if we even enjoy the words and let them play out like a story in our head? Should we suddenly look at them objectively and reject them? Well obviously, it depends, but there are three words that we need to erase from our vocabulary. Practice makes perfect.
Those three words although appearing innocent have made us buy into the idea that as long as we practice, practice, and practice some more then we can be, perform, and speak perfectly. Is that really an obtainable goal? No, it is not! Even the very definition of perfect is subjective and each person will hold the bar to a different level, right?
Maybe your idea of “perfect” English is the character of your favorite TV show, a former president, or that American colleague at your company.
When we strive for perfection, and only perfection, we create a running dialogue in our head that we are not “good enough” which prompts us to do things detrimental to our progress.
For example, you may decide to procrastinate on a project until it’s perfect or not reach out for a new position in you company because your English isn’t as perfect as you had hoped for, maybe even not join that group that you admire because you’re not perfect enough. Perfection is not achievable and striving after it will only result in frustration.
Where did the expression practice makes perfect come from? Theidioms.com says, “The phrase originates in the mid 1500's in the American English language which was adopted from a Latin phrase. The literary origin is in the work titled "Diary and Autobiography of John Adams" which was penned by Gregory Titelman. The saying has changed in the way it was used earlier from "Use makes perfect" to "practice makes perfect."
Why would we still allow an idea from 500 years ago influence us so much when it has proven to be incorrect?
Which thoughts have you had?
While it is true that practice does not make perfect, there are major benefits from practice. It’s like when you learned to ride a bike or you taught your child to ride, you start with the training wheels and after lots of practice, you can remove them and ride normally. Does that mean that you never fell or that your child never pummeled and scraped his knee? No, of course, there may have been a few accidents.
The point is that practice makes progress, not perfect.
You cannot expect your English to sound clear and confident after a thirty-minute class or only practicing when you meet with your coach. You have to put in the work to see progress. Don’t let the fear of failure or the unattainable goal of perfection hold you back. Practice will help you progress to the next level. ( get your free PDF guide here)
Try recording your voice reading this post and then listen back to it comparing to the audio file. Can you hear anything that sounds strange?
You can use another article and do the same thing. Then, look up the correct pronunciation on Youglish.com or check out the IPA in a dictionary.
Another tip is to find a 10-second clip of a video, listen to it a few times, then try to match the speed of the speaker and say what they say at the exact same time. This will help to improve your pace.
So, by all means, please practice, practice, and practice some more because practice makes progress.
Your turn: What does Practice makes Progress mean to you? Write your answer in the comments below —>