Goals Expire. Your Practice Doesn’t.

I’ve been thinking more on the concept of practice and how it fits into our lives… 

I’m seeing two types of practice: 

There’s practice to prepare for a goal such as a performance or an athletic event, etc.

In this case, there’s an endpoint. The race is run, the performance or presentation is finished, the mountain is climbed… And then what? What happens to the practice? 

For many of us, once the goal is done, so is the practice.

There’s nothing wrong with that. For some things, just completing the goal is satisfaction enough. You might train to run a marathon, or climb a mountain just to say you did it! 

The goal and the practice it required had it’s own complete chapter in your life and then it’s time to turn the page. 

The catch is when we aren’t clear on what we’re looking for through attainment of that goal…

If you’re training to run a race, but you’re seeking fitness or a particular body shape, so many people are disappointed in the results and often give up on their practice after the race is done. 

“Once I have X amount of money, then I’ll be…” (secure, satisfied, confident, able to live the life I want) … But there’s too many stories of multimillionaires who are still plagued with feeling it’s not enough. 

There's also a real phenomenon of people pursuing the degree of a lawyer, doctor, etc., who, after achieving that goal —  fall into depression. 

When we attach too much of our self-worth to a goal, instead of the practice that gets us there, we risk losing ourselves once the goal has ended.  

The other type of practice is ongoing and possibly lifelong. 

Certain vocations are called practices: 

Doctors, lawyers, etc. say they practice their profession. 

I like this perspective.

Practice in this sense has no endpoint. It’s more of a direction you continue to travel. 

You could describe it as a quality or way of living. It is oriented to the present and not dependent on the future or past. 

Practice towards a goal creates the statement: “I intend to do X” or “I did Y”

But the second type of practice engenders the statement: “I am someone who does X” 

I practice:  healing, serving others, making art, running, dancing… 

Practice then, becomes a way of life. It’s akin to a value — a chosen way of living in accord with what you determine is important to you. 

So, if I think of it this way, practice is the expression of my values. It is the pursuit of what I choose to be important in my life. 

Did you practice your values today?