15 - Practice

Today's Challenge;

Find an activity or hobby that you can devote a small amount of time to doing it every day.

What is this?

To practice is to do something regularly and intentionally in order to become better at it or to maintain a level of competence.

What is this important?

Practice is how you build a habit.

Practice

• Intentional and effortful: Practice involves conscious repetition of an activity with the goal of improvement.

  
  

• Skill-building: It’s often associated with learning or refining a skill — like playing an instrument, meditating, or public speaking.

  
  

• Requires focus: You’re usually aware and deliberate when practicing.

  
  

• Temporary phase: Practice is often a stage that leads to mastery, after which the action may become automatic.

  
  

Habit

• Automatic and routine: A habit is a behavior that has become ingrained through repetition and often occurs without conscious thought.

  
  

• Triggered by cues: Habits are usually tied to environmental or emotional triggers (e.g., brushing your teeth after waking up).

  
  

• Stable and enduring: Habits tend to persist over time and require less effort to maintain once formed.

Building positive habits become the foundation of mastery of any skill and builds a system that makes personal wellness, goal attainment, leadership and change mangement much easier to manage and attain success.

What are some things I can do to encourage practice and eventually establish good habits?

• Connect Practice to Purpose. Reflect on why you want to practice. Is it tied to a personal goal, a value, or a vision. Write down your “why” and keep it visible — it becomes a compass when motivation fades.

• Make It Part of Your Routine. Schedule practice like an appointment — same time, same place. Use habit-stacking: attach practice to something you already do (e.g., after morning coffee or before bed).

• Set Small, Achievable Goals. Break big goals into micro-practices. Instead of “practice mindfulness,” try “breathe deeply for 2 minutes". Celebrate small wins — they build momentum.

  
  

• Reframe Practice as Progress, Not Perfection. Focus on consistency, not flawless execution. Keep a journal or tracker to see how far you’ve come — even imperfect practice is growth.

  
  

• Use Accountability & Community. Share your goals with a friend, coach, or community.

You can do this with Cardalyst!

• Make It Enjoyable. Choose formats that feel good — music, movement, visuals, or storytelling. Mix it up to avoid burnout. Practice doesn’t have to be rigid..

Deep Dive

This is a bestseller for a reason. This book does a great job of helping readers understand how habits are formed and how to use this knowledge to develop good habits and break bad ones. Pro tip: I have this on audiobook to listen to while I work out or practice.

"Atomic Habits", by James Clear

“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good.

It’s the thing you do that makes you good.” - Malcolm Gladwell

Checkpoint: Something to consider today...

Perfection is the enemy of practice.