[Syntoniclese]

For the past several years I've been exploring deliberate practice in a number of different categories of sport, movement and musicality.

I have become convinced that the idea that deliberate practice is not enjoyable is entirely mistaken and results from incorrect framing and insufficient focus on the task. One must discard all notions of the greater goal or sport and design a new game around the simplest aspect which requires improvement.

By practicing meditation and mindfulness, you slowly learn to find skillful movement in all activity. When you can derive pleasure from the mundane - when all movement becomes a dance, you eliminate the distinction between plateaus and play, between practice and performance.

I reject outright the notion that my personality is innately autotelic. It is a skill and a mindset that I've cultivated slowly and intentionally, and it's the difference between sticking with a goal and loving the journey.