The Practicing Mind

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by Thomas M. Sterner

When we want to learn a new skill or confront a challenging problem that we want to overcome, we need patience, attention, and discipline, which might be illusive or difficult to sustain. Thomas Sterner illustrates how to gain skills for any element of life, from golfing to business to parenting, by learning to appreciate the process in this intriguing and practical book.

It's all about trial and error in the early years. We would never have learnt to walk or tie our shoes if we had given up in the face of failure, repetition, and difficulty. So, as adults, why do we frequently give up on a goal when we don't achieve at first? Sterner discovered that we had forgotten the basics of practice — the process of selecting a goal and exerting consistent effort to achieve it — in his study of how we learn (prompted by his pursuit of disciplines such as music and golf). Sterner's approaches demonstrate that appropriate practice isn't a drudgery on the road to mastery, but a rewarding process in and of itself, one that fosters discipline and clarity.

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