by Maria Sirois

“Ten thousand hours felt like ten thousand hands. Ten thousand hands, they carry me…”

Rap star Macklemore uses this line as the refrain in his new hit, “Ten Thousand Hours” and he refers directly to Malcolm Gladwell in the rap – citing the ten thousand hours notion that Gladwell popularized in his books is what brought him to this moment, on the stage of the world, doing exactly what he loves.

8,000 to 10,000 hours of practice, we learn through the research of Anders Ericsson, who Gladwell credits, is what separates master musicians from the second tier, who tend to practice far fewer hours.

Practice lifts us … enables us … strengthens us … and as Macklemore states … carries us. “Our rituals affirm us,” wrote Confucius in the first century BCE. They move us forward as helping hands, hold us steady, and affirm both who we are and our choices toward health. Every habit we wish to form, every transformation we wish to make is made possible through this: dedication to practice.

We need not be perfect.

We need only to practice that which enlivens us.

Every day, we practice.

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MariaSiroisDr. Maria Sirois, PsyD, is the Vice President of Curriculum at Wholebeing Institute and an inspirational speaker, seminar leader, and author who has worked at the intersections of wellness, psychology, and spirituality for nearly 20 years. As a wellness guide, Maria has been invited to keynote throughout the country at conferences for wellness centers, hospitals, hospices, philanthropy, business, academic and corporate institutions, as well as for the general public. She has been called both a “true teacher” and “an orator of great power and beauty.” Her book, “Every Day Counts: Lessons in Love, Faith, and Resilience from Children Facing Illness, was published in 2006.”