Practice is about getting better, and pushing is about exerting greater force.

While sometimes people may want you to push yourself to practice harder—and while yes, sometimes, the need is there!—many times the two aren’t necessarily connected together.

Pushing too hard, or too often, can actually ruin a practice, because it creates too much pressure to withstand. There’s no space to play. It takes the fun out of it.

When you inject play into the practice, you may find yourself pulled into it, because you want to surrender yourself to a process. It becomes the best part of your day. Play is fuel for showing up every day, especially in the early days. 

Yes, when you go pro, you need discipline; but before that, enjoy the practice.