Embrace Monotony

When trying to improve on a skill, we repeat actions over and over to learn and gain experience.  Some researchers tell us that we need 10,000 hours of practice in order to become a master in one aspect of our performance.  So if I want to master penalty kicks in soccer, I need to practice those shots for 10,000 hours.  Think of how much time that actually is.  If you could sustain practicing those kicks repeatedly for an hour a day, every day of the week, it would take you almost 3 years to be great.

The monotony of practicing the same shot for so long would cause many people to give up.  But this is what separates the good from the great.  The great performers embrace the monotony of practice.  They are willing to repeat the same actions every day because they recognize that it is building positive habits.  It’s not that great performers don’t feel monotony.  They too get bored of training, they grow tired, they want to take a break and try something new.  But that’s not where they place their focus.

The great performers are able to recognize what needs to be done to be great.  They know it takes practice and effort.  They focus on the process of improvement.  They look for ways to measure their progress.  They push through the pain and boredom of training because they know that’s where results come from.  

I don’t know if monotony ever ends, if one day you get to the top of the hill of boredom and it becomes easier and more enjoyable to maintain your habits.  But I do know that if you want to be great, that for at least some time, you have to accept monotony.  You have to realize that it will be a part of your life.  You have to embrace it and thank it and maintain it because it is the thing that is forming your habits.