75 years - 6 days. WTF? Deliberate practice is not fun

Today I learned something important: that the practice that matters is not fun. Source: here.

A while ago I'd learned that practice was essential. I'd learned that if I wanted to grow beyond my natural gifts, I needed to practice. So I began to practice.

I'd also learned the adage "Practice does not make perfect; only perfect practice makes perfect." So I tried to practice perfectly. But I didn't know how to do that. So I just practiced.

Now I realize when I practice within my comfort zone I don't make much progress. It's just repetition. Repetition may lead to improvement, but the improvement will be small relative to what is possible.

The practice that matters is the practice that's just outside the comfort zone; the practice that is deliberate practice; the practice that requires focused attention; the practice that incorporates failing, and analyzing failure; the practice that is hard work; the practice that is not fun.

I'll say more about this in another post. For now, I'm going to meet a commitment to myself, and post something before I'm too tired to finish it.