"This is how experts practice: "**First, they set a stretch goal**, zeroing in on just one narrow aspect of their overall performance. Rather than focus on what they already do well, **experts strive to improve specific weaknesses**. They intentionally seek out challenges they can’t yet meet. [[Olympic]] gold medal swimmer [[Rowdy Gaines]], for example, said, “**At every practice, I would try to beat myself. If my coach gave me ten 100s one day and asked me to hold 1:15, then the next day when he gave me ten 100s, I’d try to hold 1:14**.” Virtuoso violist [[Roberto Díaz]] describes “working to find your Achilles’ heel—the specific aspect of the music that needs problem solving.” "**Then, with undivided attention and great effort, experts strive to reach their stretch goal**. Interestingly, many choose to do so while nobody’s watching. Basketball great [[Kevin Durant]] has said, “I probably spend 70 percent of my time by myself, working on my game, just trying to fine-tune every single piece of my game.” Likewise, **the amount of time musicians devote to practicing alone is a much better predictor of how quickly they develop than time spent practicing with other musicians**. "As soon as possible, **experts hungrily seek feedback on how they did**. Necessarily, much of that feedback is negative. **This means that experts are more interested in what they did wrong—so they can fix it—than what they did right**. The active processing of this feedback is as essential as its immediacy. --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[expertise]], [[training]], [[goal-setting]], [[feedback]], **Source** -- [[20241030 - B - Grit]]