What Are You Practicing?
- Alice Ranker
- Jul 12
- 2 min read
I was out watering the garden this week.
It’s become part of my morning rhythm this time of year.
Some days I notice every new bloom.
Other days I realize I've watered half the beds without really seeing any of them.
The plants still receive what they need.
I'm not always sure I do.
It made me think about something I've never really considered.
We spend a lot of time talking about goals.
About dreams.
About the people we hope to become.
But this week I found myself wondering if there's an even better question.
What am I practicing every day?
Every day we practice.Â
Often without realizing it.Â
Maybe especially when we’re not paying attention.
We practice in the way we go through our days.
In how we respond to interruptions.
In what we notice.Â
In what we avoid.
Every repeated response becomes a rehearsal.
Rehearsals become habits.
Habits quietly become character.
We often practice the wrong thing by accident.
Without meaning to, we rehearse the very things we're hoping to change.
We want rest.
But practice saying yes to everything.
We think...
"I want deeper friendships."
Yet we practice being busy.
We want peace.
But practice reacting.
We want confidence.
But practice self-criticism.
We want connection.
But practice distraction.
The good news is that practice works both ways.
If practice can shape us, it can also change us.
You don't become patient in one decision.
You practice pausing.
You don't become grateful because life changes.
You practice noticing.
You don't become courageous overnight.
You practice choosing courage in small moments.
You don't become present all at once. But,
By putting your phone down.
By looking people in the eyes.
By staying in the conversation a little longer.
Gardens don't bloom because we hope they will.
They bloom because someone keeps showing up.
Watering.
Pulling weeds.
Paying attention.
Maybe our lives work the same way.
We rarely wake up one morning as someone new.
We quietly practice becoming that person long before we notice the change.
One ordinary choice.
One ordinary day.
One ordinary practice at a time.
So, instead of asking...
"What do I want?"
Ask...
What am I practicing today that my future self will thank me for?
Have the best and most intentional week.
Much love,
