Message of the Day - Practice for the Unexpected, not Perfection

Good Morning,

 

This weekend I finished my 200^th book. It was a book on the German Philosopher: Arthur Schopenhauer, who had a very pessimistic view on life and society and believed life was driven by a dark uncaring overarching Will. I can see his point in the coldness of some of today’s darker world events, but I chose to see the goodness in everyone, whether they see it or not.

 

Anyway, my current read is a book that I had passed several times in the library which kept catching my eye. “Peanut Butter and Jelly Management” by Chris and Reina Komisarjevsky is a book which combines tales of parenthood and how these relate to lessons for business life. The author’s family has 10 children from two marriages and a whole range of experiences from the comical to the very sobering.

 

One lesson from the book which stood out to me was about practice. We all have heard that practice makes perfect, and we know that perfect is not always obtainable. By practicing some activity over and over again, you may get good at that activity, you may get great at that activity. But, if you practice variations of that activity, and prepare for all situations, then you are preparing yourself for success. Not because you what you have practiced, but because of what may happen which you have not practiced for.

 

When something unexpected happens, we can fall back on all of the practice we have taken to help us get through. True, we may not have practiced for that specific situation, but if we vary what we study and practice enough, we will have a clue how to respond. When I first started driving in the early 1990’s I drove down country roads in Upstate New York. I practiced fast turns down winding roads and avoiding deer, visible potholes and reacting quickly to constant changing environment. I probably drove a bit too recklessly in my early driving days, but it did pay off. While driving home from Buffalo, New York in 1996 the hood of my car opened and flipped up and over the windshield. My copilot and I quickly maneuvered the car from going 60 Miles an hour on Interstate 90 to safely moving off to an exit ramp. While I had never practiced for a car hood flipping open, I did practice keeping my eyes open and being prepared for all sorts of change. Practice did not make perfect, but it practice prepared me for the unexpected.

 

Remember, practice, it could save your life!

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/  ß Check out the new Blog site

502-533-9336

 

PS: If you know others who may enjoy this message of the day, please pass this message on or invite them to receive them themselves by sending a request to me. If you wish to stop receiving these, please also let me know. Thank you!!!