Practice (I love you)

I was cleaning up "the pile" in the living room recently and found a New York Times Magazine I’d saved from December. Since the piece was now so 2012 (insert eye roll), I almost shifted it to the recycling pile. But the subtitle on the cover caught my eye: “Jerry Seinfeld is 58, rich beyond imagination and still working.” Ah, that’s why I’d saved it in the first place: because I was curious what kept him at work if he didn’t need the income. (And yes, I’ll admit it was also because of my secret desire to be a standup comedian, but that’s another story.)

Yes, in fact Mr. Seinfeld is rich, with a reported net worth of $800 million. And he’s still practicing his craft. Still working small clubs in between bigger gigs, polishing jokes until they land just right and he gets the kind of laughs he desires. Why? “I like money, but it’s never been about the money,” he says. “I read an article a few years ago that said when you practice a sport a lot, you literally become a broadband: the nerve pathway in your brain contains a lot more information. As soon as you stop practicing, the pathway begins shrinking back down. Reading that changed my life. I used to wonder, Why am I doing these sets, getting on a stage? Don’t I know how to do this already? The answer is no. You must keep doing it. The broadband starts to narrow the moment you stop.”

Here’s a guy who practices what he loves to do, what he must do to feel whole. AND he is seen by others as having already made it to the top, like at the top enough to coast a bit, maybe take some time off from practicing. Here is “both and” thinking at its best. Jerry Seinfeld is good because he practices AND he practices because he is good.

The article left me wondering, What are the practices that sustain me? Where am I good AND practicing because I must to be whole? Here’s my list so far. I’d be curious to know what’s on your list too. Let me know, will you?

• Yoga: every downward dog is a first

• Cooking: I have a couple of signature dishes (quiche and fig-fennel granola) that I know by heart and continue to make because they are good and getting better.

• Writing: keeping at this blog (because I’m good and getting better, if I do say so myself).

• Curriculum development: The quest to design the clearest, most enjoyable, engaging workshop and trainer materials continues.

• Saying “I love you.” This is one for sure, because I must practice saying it to be whole, and because I want to keep the broadband lit up.

Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all!