Practice What You Know

There comes a point when we don't need another lesson.

We need practice.

Remember multiplication tables?

First, somebody taught us what multiplication meant.

Then came the worksheets.

Then the flash cards.

Again.

And again.

And again. 😂

Eventually, we weren't stopping to work through every answer.

Something we had learned became something we knew.

I've been thinking about how often, as adults, we stay in learning mode.

Another book.

Another class.

Another conversation.

Another workshop.

Another person to ask.

Another plan.

Another strategy.

Preparation feels productive because it is productive.

But eventually, preparation has done its job.

At some point, we have to practice what we know.

I know I need to follow up.

Now I have to follow up.

I know I need boundaries.

Now I have to practice them.

I know I need to communicate differently.

Now I have to have the conversation.

I know what my priorities are.

Now I have to make decisions that reflect them.

I know what the plan says.

Now I have to live it.

That's where things get interesting.

Because knowing something in theory and practicing it in real life are very different experiences.

On paper, the answer can look obvious.

Then another person has an opinion.

The schedule changes.

We're tired.

Something unexpected happens.

An opportunity appears.

Our feelings get involved.

Suddenly, the lesson we've understood for months becomes a real-life test.

That's why we practice.

Not so we'll execute everything perfectly.

But so the things we've learned become easier to access when life actually requires them.

Practice builds familiarity.

Familiarity builds skill.

Skill gives us evidence.

And evidence builds confidence.

Sometimes we wait for confidence before we're willing to practice.

We tell ourselves:

I'll speak when I'm more confident.

I'll make the offer when I know exactly what to say.

I'll set the boundary when I'm sure nobody will be upset.

I'll try when I'm certain I'll do it well.

But confidence often comes afterward.

The reps teach us that we can handle it.

That doesn't mean we stop asking for help.

We've already talked about tutoring.

It doesn't mean we stop learning.

There will always be another level with something new to teach us.

But learning can become another hiding place if we're not careful.

We can spend so much time preparing to do something that we never actually experience doing it.

Eventually, we have to close the textbook.

Put the notes down.

And try.

Maybe awkwardly.

Maybe slowly.

Maybe differently than we imagined.

Then we learn from that attempt and try again.

That's training.

And the beautiful thing about training is that it stays with us.

A skill practiced in one environment can strengthen us in another.

A boundary practiced once becomes easier to recognize the next time.

A conversation we were afraid to have teaches us something about the next one.

A system we consistently use becomes less of an assignment and more of how we operate.

The goal isn't to become perfect at everything we've learned.

It's to become increasingly able to live what we already know.

September has given us plenty of lessons.

We've read the syllabus.

Done the homework.

Asked for tutoring.

Checked our backpacks.

Used our resources.

Checked our progress.

We've even taken recess.

Now the bell has rung again.

And maybe the next assignment doesn't require another lesson.

Maybe it requires another rep.

Practice what you know.