Thoughts on practice: If you want quality, extraordinary results in nearly anything, extensive practice is key. The key to making that practice ‘easy’ and ‘enjoyable’ is to apply discipline until you start to see the results that come from steady application. Then, you’ll begin to love the practice and it won’t seem like ‘discipline’ but will instead become ‘necessity’. The moment your practice is now a ‘necessity’, the flow and passion you’ll pour into it will lead you to the next level of your artwork, exercise, Tao, meditation or whatever it is you’re doing.
If you ‘hate’ the ‘practice’ or the process of learning, yearning only the result, you’ll experience so much frustration… in turn, that will lead to avoidance, then each time you touch the practice, you’ll sink lower into frustration until ultimately, you’ll either smarten up, sharpen up, or give up. 
🙂
So here is a tip that has worked for me in tea, painting, ikebana, karate, kimono dressing, sweets-making, piano, cello, fencing and more. Pay for quality private instruction.
To bridge the gap between loving and practicing: extrinsic accountability: when you invest in private instruction you up the ante of effort for yourself and to your instructor. It says: “I take this practice seriously, and am willing to take the time to invest in myself, in your instruction and the practice”. Yes, it requires budget factors. But if you’re going to bother to do something, what I’ve found, is that finding those means pays great dividends in the end.
When I was a ‘starving OSAP loan University student’ I found a way to pay for private fencing lessons weekly, with one of the Canadian olympic fencing coaches. I skipped dinners out with friends, made my lunch rather than buying it, make other choices to direct the minimal funds I had towards my Sensei.
In turn, the men’s Olympic team that I had the honour to practice with at the RA center for years, led to my participating in national’s and winning an Ontario gold medal in women’s university epee. Did I have to do that? no, of course not 🙂 but that kind of amazing instruction led to an extraordinary result and great satisfaction. If I’d dabbled along with the varsity team amateur coaches, I’m fairly certain I would never had experienced the level of insight in that sport… Not to say we all have to do that 🙂 but man…. did winning that medal ever feel amazing 🙂 
<3
Apply yourself. Seek amazing Senseis. Follow through without complaining. Do the work. Do your practice. Excel. Expand!
