"WE LEARN TO CUT TREES BY CUTTING TREES"

A while ago, I was part of a mentoring session with Ms. Folake Odediran, the General Manager for the pharmaceutical company, Sanofi Nigeria, Ghana. And as she took her seat to start her session, She looked around the table and said, "I want you all to remember this: you learn to cut trees by cutting trees. " She went on to explain that performing a task over and over again, makes us better at doing that task in the Long run. 

However cliche, the truth is that Practice makes perfect. 

For example,  I try to read some of my old articles sometimes and I sincerely can't believe how awful they are. For real. Over time and through practice,  I've been able to find my own writing voice and I know for sure that I am better at writing now than I was, a few years ago. 

I also remember clearly when my sister first started out as a fashion designer. For a while, the only thing she could make by herself was an A-line skirt and a bustier top. But now, her fashion brand can pretty much produce any type of clothing you can imagine. 

I know that these self-development experts highlight the importance of practice in ways that can scare people. "You need five thousand hours of practice to master a skill...Beyonce practiced for more than six months for Coachella". 

However, the key point is about practicing to become better as we lead our own lives. It's not easy to overlook these things, I know. But you are better off working slowly than not working at all.

Look at me, I've been practicing French on Duolingo since last year. Laughs. I still can't speak French. But I know it would be a lot more difficult for me to get lost in a French-speaking country now compared to when I started practicing last year. 

If you want to be the "greatest whatever", start now and keep going.

I want someone to make me a mug with the caption, "Oprah was not built in a day" because I know for sure that every great thing is earned over time through practice.