Making Pots

On the first day, the professor began, “I’m going to grade this class a little differently than usual.” It was a pottery class. The students, already a bit more attentive because it was the first day of classes, became even more alert.
“This half of the room,” he gestured to his right, “will I grade purely on quantity of work done. I don’t care how beautiful or great the pots are. The more pots you make, the higher your grade.”

He turned to the other half of the room: ”You, I will grade purely on quality of work.
“I don’t care how many pots you make; you will only turn in one, and it must be of the highest quality to receive the highest grade.”

The students all got busy. The quality side of the room began working on one pot, most not doing more than that, just to ensure that that one pot was more beautiful than anything they had ever created. Meanwhile, the quantity side just made pot after pot, generating an imposing body of work.

At semester’s end, the professor made his final evaluation. As he expected, the quality side of the room didn’t produce many pots. But he was also somewhat surprised: The quality of their one pot turned in wasn’t as high as he anticipated. They had time to focus on every detail of “the perfect pot.”

His suspicions were further confirmed when he evaluated the other half of the room. Yes, they had fulfilled their assignment. The quantity each student had produced was considerable. But in viewing the myriad of pots, something stood out more than the plethora of pottery—the quality of them. Especially the ones made later in the semester. Although the students were not concerned about symmetry or design, their pots were more perfect and of higher quality than the one pot graded for each student in the other half of the class. Why?
Because they kept making pots!

The old adage “practice makes perfect” rang true! Those in life who long for that one perfect pot, the perfect game, the perfect performance, fall short in understanding of a vital key to success—constantly practicing what it is you want to be successful at, persevering throughout every effort. You will have good days and bad. You will have practices where you are “in the zone” and everything clicks. But then you will have those days where everything seems off kilter. Don’t give up. Go ahead and make some bad pots! Get them out of your system. To complete an “off day” of practice will be more beneficial than just giving up for the day. It’s about conquering the human tendency to quit, and rising above it just to finish another pot.

The lesson is: To get better at something, do it a lot. It won’t be great every time, but in the end, when it’s time for the final grade, you will see that the practice and experience paid off—all the bad pots forgotten.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was one of the greatest composers who ever lived. His work has survived the test of time—most of it. Every piece of his, however, was not a masterpiece. But after writing over 800 works, he had so many amazing musical accomplishments! And all his “pots” were made in a short life of only 35 years.

A bestselling author, when asked to give tips to aspiring writers, said, “Read a lot. Write a lot.”

We all need practical experience. Not the avoidable experience so often chosen by most youth, known as the “hard way.” But practical experience comes from doing something a lot, practicing it a lot, understanding the process better each time, maturing in the skill and never quitting when a bad “pot” comes out of the kiln. It is the kind of experience that cannot be learned from anyone else; only by the one making the pots.

Whatever you want to become accomplished at, practice it a lot. It’s the only way truly to improve. Don’t get bogged down by momentary setbacks or even failures. Discipline yourself to continue, to persevere, to surge forward toward even greater quality.
So make lots of pots.

The results may astound you!