PRACTICE LIKE YOU PLAY BY HANNAH COWAN

Practice like you play.  

If you’ve played sports throughout life, like me, you’ve definitely heard this more times than you’d probably like. What does it really mean though? To me, it has meant to practice just as hard as if you were in a real game. Our coaches gave us drills and we were required to give our best effort. In sports, this worked. I’m not so confident that this works in business though.

Take the rules of business and think of them as a coach. They tell us what to wear, how to act, when to speak, and how to present ourselves. Basically, they are telling us how to practice. For once, don’t listen to the coach.

Recently, I was prepping for an interview and found myself replaying answers to questions I foresee them asking me in my head. Halfway through, I stopped. I had an “aha” moment. I realized I wasn’t practicing how I wanted to play. I was dully repeating answers and completely lacking personality, something that makes me so unique! We all need to reflect on if we are practicing how we want to play. If you play with enthusiasm, practice like it. If you play with humor, practice like it. If you play in your pajamas talking in backwards sentences, practice like it.

In business, don’t always listen to the coach. Be your authentic self and practice like YOU play.