Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect
By Reba Hull Campbell
“Practice makes perfect.” Surely a mantra we all heard as kids…whether it was in sports, spelling, music, or math. This was a standard line repeated by grown-ups who were just trying to help us learn. Practice is a good thing…right? But perfect? Rarely possible.
Over the years, I’ve come to understand perfection is a false master regardless of the task. My perfect custard might look like your messy pie. Your perfect swan dive might be my belly flop. Perfection is subjective. It’s as inaccurate a measure of success as coloring in the lines is for creativity.
Practice, however, is the part of this adage that I have come to accept. After years of being tethered to that false master of perfection, I’ve learned being open to the adventure that practice brings is freeing, encouraging and often surprising.
Writing is one piece of my life that has taught me the delight is in the practice, not in the striving for perfection. By approaching both my “day job” writing and my personal writing with a mind toward practice, I get a satisfaction I wouldn’t have discovered if I had been seeking perfection rather than practicing.
My professional writing often requires quick turn-around to help readers understand complex topics that must be cobbled down to digestible talking points. I get practice daily in how to do this better by approaching the process like a puzzle to be solved. The puzzle is different every time whether it’s de-constructing a convoluted piece of legislation or diving into a complicated accounting rule.
This type of “day job” writing is about the practice of asking questions, seeking connections between ideas and often applying a little creativity to communicating a dry or complicated concept.
My personal writing often involves taking rambling notes of observations with no idea of what connect points may eventually arise. These notes may be random words scribbled on the back of receipts or emails I send myself while waiting for the gas tank to fill. Just the practice of capturing observations, turns of words or the echoes of people’s stories gives me huge pleasure – not because I’m using them to write a perfect best seller, but because they keep me curious.
This practice of personal writing is also calming. I can often tame those head chatter thoughts clanging around like pinball marbles once I take a few minutes to shoot them out through my fingers. If something insightful lands on the page, great. If a connection to someone comes of it, all the better.
But I know one thing for sure…I never want to perfect this either practice of writing because then I’d stop asking questions and discovering new paths. Perfection is when the fun and discovery of it end.
In her book, Bird by Bird, writer Anne Lamott speaks beautifully of the practice of writing and making a commitment to just finish, knowing it won’t be perfect. “What you are doing may just be practice. But this is how you are going to get better, and there is no point in practicing if you don’t finish.”
But finishing here doesn’t mean perfecting. There’s always more to see, learn and discover if we allow it and just keep practicing, not striving for that unreachable state of perfection.
About Reba Hull Campbell
When not working to promote the interests of SC cities and towns as deputy executive director of the Municipal Association of SC, Reba is passionate about travel, writing and keeping connected with old friends. Read more of Reba’s personal writing on her blog at randomconnectpoints.blogspot.com. She tweets @rebahcampbell.