The Practice

by Seth Godin

A genius is the one most like himself. THELONIOUS MONK

Shipping, because it doesn’t count if you don’t share it.

There’s a practice available to each of us—the practice of embracing the process of creation in service of better. The practice is not the means to the output, the practice is the output, because the practice is all we can control. The practice demands that we approach our process with commitment. It acknowledges that creativity is not an event, it’s simply what we do, whether or not we’re in the mood.

Sculptor Elizabeth King said it beautifully, “Process saves us from the poverty of our intentions.”

Learn to juggle. Draw an owl. Make things better. Without regard for whether it’s going to work this time. The practice will take you where you seek to go better than any other path you can follow. And while you’re engaging in the practice, you’ll honor your po...

The practice is there if we’re willing to sign up for it. And the practice will open the door to the change you seek to make.

The recipe for recipes is straightforward: good ingredients, mise en place, attention to detail, heat, finish. You do them in order. But when we create something for the first time, it’s not as linear, not easily written down. This new practice takes leadership, a creative contribution—something that not just anyone can produce, something that might not work but that might be worth pursuing. It’s often called “art.”

3. Are You Searching for Something? Most of us are. If we care enough, we keep looking for that feeling, that impact, that ability to make a difference. And then we look harder.

Followers aren’t searching. They’re simply following in the footsteps of the people before them. Do well on the test, comply with the instructions, move to the next rung. Leaders seek to make things better, to contribute and to find firm footing. The chance to make a difference and to be seen and respected, all at once.

That search has created our culture and the world we live in. More and more people, engaging and contributing, weaving ...

Let’s call it art. The human act of doing something that might not work, something generous, something that will make a difference. The emotional act of doing personal, self-direct...

We each have more leverage than ever before. We have access to tools, a myriad of ways forward, and a real chance to contribute. Your part matters. Your art matters. It’s worth reminding yourself that the question isn’t “can I make art,” because you already have. You have already spoken up at least once, contributed something that mattered. You’ve said something funny to a friend or perhaps even sold out Carnegie Hall. And now we need you to do it again. But more so. The real question is: “Do I care...

4. Askıda Ekmek Askıda ekmek: there is bread on the hook. It’s an ancient tradition in Turkey. When buying a loaf at the local bakery, you can choose to pay for an extra loaf and, after bagging your purchase, the owner will hang the second loaf on a hook on the wall. If a person in need comes by, he or she can ask if there’s anything on the hook. If so, the bread is shared, and the hunger is relieved.

Perhaps as important, community is built.

When you choose to produce creative work, you’re solving a problem. Not just for you, but for those who will encounter what you’ve made. By putting yourself on the hook, you’re performing a generous act. You are sharing insight and love and magic. And the more it spreads, the more it’s worth to all of those who are lucky en...

We can adopt a practice. Here are the surprising truths that have been hidden by our desire for those perfect outcomes, the ones industrial recipes promise but never quite deliver:

Skill is not the same as talent. A good process can lead to good outcomes, but it doesn’t guarantee them.

Perfectionism has nothing to do with ...

Professionals produce with intent.

Good taste is a skill. Passion is a choice.

The humor lies in all the steps that are missing.

Everyone knows how to draw two ovals and a line. No one, least of all me, knows how to draw the owl. It highlights our desire to run from the pain of not being sure. The headline promises instruction, as life does. But, just like life, the headline is lying to us. For the important work, the instructions are always insufficient. For the work we’d like to do, the reward comes from the fact that there is no guarantee, that the path isn’t well lit, that we cannot possibly be sure it’s going to work.

9. This Is Art Not painting, but art: the act of doing something that might not work, simply because it’s a generous thing to do. The combination of talent, skill, craft, and point of view that brings new light to old problems. The way we change our culture and ourselves.

Painting is something you do to a house. Art is the work we do where there is no right answer—and yet the journey is worth the effort. We might make art with a keyboard, with a paintbrush, or with our actions. Mostly, we do it because we lean into a practice, trusting we have a shot at making a difference. We do it without a guarantee, with simply a practice we’ve chosen to commit to. Are you an artist? Of course you are. Artists make change happen. Artists are humans who do generous work that might not work. Artists aren’t limited to paint or museums. You’re an artist as soon as you announce you are. As a leader, a coach, a contributor, a designer, a musician, an impresario … it’s art if you let it be. If you care enough.

Legendary designer and illustrator Milton Glaser said, “One of the problems with art is that it is self-anointing: Anyone can be an artist by simply pointing to themselves and saying...

10. Perhaps You Can Make Some Art Art is what we call it when we’re able to create something new that changes someone. No change, no art. When we ship our best work (at least our best in this moment), we have a chance to turn it into art. And then we have a chance to do it again.

It’s a form of leadership, not management. A process without regard for today’s outcome, a commitment to the journey.

You were born ready to make art. But you’ve been brainwashed into believing that you can’t trust yourself enough to do so. You’ve been told you don’t have enough talent (but that’s okay, because you can learn the skill instead). You’ve been told you’re not entitled to speak up (but now you can see how many others have taken their turns). And you’ve been told that ...

Art is the generous act of making things better by doing something...

11. Creativity Is an Action, Not a Feeling Marie Schacht points out that we can’t always do much about how we feel, particularly when it’s about something important. But we can always control our actions.

Your work is too important to be left to how you feel today. On the other hand, committing to an action can change how we feel. If we act as though we trust the process and do the work, then the feelings will follow. Waiting for a feeling is a luxury we don’t have time for.

Most of the time, the story we live by came from somewhere. It might be the way we were raised, or it could be the outcome of a series of events. Burn yourself on the stove and you might persuade yourself that you should go nowhere near a stove. Grow up in a home with low expectations and it’s possible you’ll begin to believe them. The story we tell ourselves leads to the actions we take.

If you want to change your story, change your actions first. When we choose to act a certain way, our mind can’t help but rework our narrative to make those actions become coherent. We become what we do.

We do the work, whether we feel like it or not, and then, without warning, flow can arise.

Flow is a symptom of the work we’re doing, not the cause of it.

There is a method, but it has no fixed steps. There is a strategy, but the tactics don’t really matter. There is a process, but it doesn’t always work. The practice that is open to us always works better than anything else we could try.

You can start where you are. You can see and you can be seen. You can listen and you can be heard. And you can do the work that you were born to do. Sometimes, we opt for more instead of better. But better is better than more.

Once you decide to trust your self, you will have found your passion. You’re not born with it, and you don’t have just one passion. It’s not domain-specific: it’s a choice. Our passion is simply the work we’ve trusted ourselves to do. This is worth deconstructing, because the strategy of “seeking your calling” gives you a marvelous place to hide.

Your Passion is what you have given meaning to. Your passion is what you have told yourself you love - hence the perseverance is worth it. This is not one activity. You choose to be passionate about what is in front of you. Practice and become greatest at it.

“You can’t really decide to paint a masterpiece. You just have to think hard, work hard, and try to make a painting that you care about. Then, if you’re lucky, your work will find an audience for whom it’s meaningful.”

Of course there’s no manual, no proven best practices, no established rulebook. The very nature of innovation is to act as if—to act as if you’re on to something, as if it’s going to work, as if you have a right to be here. Along the way, you can discover what doesn’t work on your way to finding out what does.

Identity fuels action, and action creates habits, and habits are part of a practice, and a practice is the single best way to get to where you seek to go.

Before you are a “bestselling author,” you’re an author, and authors write. Before you are an “acclaimed entrepreneur,” you’re simply someone who is building something. “I am _______ but they just don’t realize it yet” is totally different from “I’m not _______ because they didn’t tell me I was.” The only choice we have is to begin. And the only place to begin is where we are. Simply begin. But begin.

28. Toward a Daily Practice in Service of Your Identity Julia Cameron’s morning pages help unlock something inside. Not the muse or a magic mystical power, but simply the truth of your chosen identity. If you do something creative each day, you’re now a creative person.

Because creative people create. Do the work, become the artist. Instead of planning, simply become. Acting as if is how we acquire identity.

When Elizabeth King said, “Process saves us from the poverty of our intentions,”

she was talking about the fish. You might seek a shortcut, a hustle, a way to somehow cajole that fish onto the hook. But if it distracts you from the process, your art will suffer. Better to set aside judging yourself until after you’ve committed to the practice and done the work.

One way to avoid criticism (and to distrust our own voices) is to sound like everyone else. When we mimic talking points or work hard to echo what the others have said, we’re hiding.

Of course you’re allowed to sound like you. Everyone else is taken.

To say, “Here, I made this.” To trust yourself enough to ship the work. Of course, it might not work. That’s built into the process. Do it anyway. And then do it again. If you care enough, it’s worth doing as many times as it takes.

49. The Best Reason to Say “No” Writer Justine Musk reminds us that in order to say no with consistency and generosity, we need to have something to say “yes” to. Our commitment to the practice is the source of that yes.