I want to be a natural. I want to swing the club effortlessly and tip my cap to the fans watching me on the tour. But that won't happen. At least not without a whole lot of practice.
Very rare is the "natural" anything. We all have talents, but even the very gifted must be very practiced. Musicians, athletes, artists, surgeons, and the list goes on.
You might have skill and you might have knowledge, but you have to practice both to succeed. I don't care how many books the doctor has read, I don't want a tonsillectomy unless she's had practice actually removing tonsils. A drummer knows how to use the sticks, but he won't perform on stage a song he's never played.
I know how to swing a golf club. I've been told all the steps it takes to successful hit the ball down the fairway. But that knowledge is useful unless I actually practice. And it's in the practice where hitting the ball becomes possible.
The same is true for the rest of life. I want to be a good wife, a good mom, a servant of others. It takes more than just waking up and thinking those things. I have to practice. What do I need to practice today to be a better wife? The laundry. Fixing dinner on time. To be a better mom? Use detangler. Be patient. A better servant? Return my grocery cart. Open a door. Take someone dinner. Follow through on my promises.
If I try to run through the checklist when I'm at the ball, I'll fail. I'll forget something crucial. But if I focus on the details during my practice swing, I will train myself to perform like I practice. Then I can relax and rely on my training to carry me through. If I practice correctly, my head will naturally stay down. My knees stay bent. My shoulder will stay in. I will swing back slowly and accelerate through. My ball will go in the hole. Hopefully. Eventually. That is the goal.
Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes it possible to succeed.
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