The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus and Discipline in Your Life Master Any Skill or Challenge by Learning to Love the Process

by Thomas M. Sterner

the practicing mind is quiet. It lives in the present and has laser-like, pinpoint focus and accuracy.

Sign of a practicing mind

Why was I finding golf practice to be an invigorating yet calming experience while my classmates were finding it to be the opposite? I believe this was because I was actually practicing and they were not. Compounding the problem was their anxiety, which was created by their awareness that by not practicing, they were not getting any closer to their intended goal.

Perspective

The word practice implies the presence of awareness and will.

Definition of practice

When, instead, your goal is to focus on the process and stay in the present, then there are no mistakes and no judging. You are just learning and doing. You are executing the activity, observing the outcome, and adjusting yourself and your practice energy to produce the desired result. There are no bad emotions, because you are not judging anything.

Process driven approach