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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Practice summary
Shipping Creative Work
25 mins
Brief summary
In 'The Practice', Seth Godin encourages creatives to put their work out into the world confidently. He provides insight and inspiration to help overcome resistance and build a fulfilling creative career.
Table of Contents
The Practice
Summary of 8 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 8
Trust yourself to find your own path to a creative practice.
Don’t ever tell yourself, “I can’t be creative.” You can. And, in fact, you already are. Every time you’ve doodled in the corner of a notebook or hummed a song in the shower, you’ve expressed yourself creatively.
You have the capacity for creativity and for transforming your raw creative ability into professional practice. But be prepared: the route to establishing yourself as a creative professional can be tricky to navigate. There’s no predetermined roadmap to professional creative success.
As the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, puts it: “It is better to follow your own path, however imperfectly, than to follow someone else’s perfectly.”
The key message is: Trust yourself to find your own path to a creative practice.
So how do you find your creative path? Your path lies in your process. Trust in your process, and your path will manifest itself.
But that trust might be hard won. Ours is a world that values outcome over process. We don’t judge a plumber’s work by the quality of its process; we judge it based on whether or not the toilet still leaks. Sadly, many apply this same attitude to creative endeavors. We judge the success of a book by the copies it sells, the success of a musician by how many stadiums she can sell out.
But fixating on outcome can lead creatives to make shallow, market-driven choices. The fact is, there’s no such thing as an outcome without a process leading up to it. To find your authentic creativity, focus on your own creative process, which naturally will be different than anyone else’s. By trusting in your own unique process without placing value on its outcome, you’ll discover your path.
Of course, it’s sometimes hard to trust process. You might feel the guitar notes you’re strumming will never meld into a harmony, or the sentences you’re jotting down on your commute will never amount to a book. Even the most established creative practitioners confess to feeling overwhelmed by self-doubt. But here’s the good news: Your feelings don’t matter. Your actions do.
Unlike our feelings, our actions are within our control. So, do your process, even if you feel like you can’t.
Trust in yourself; trust in your process. Sometimes your process will result in a good outcome. Sometimes it won’t. But every time you recommit to it, you recommit to uncovering your creative potential.
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What is The Practice about?
The Practice (2020) is a handbook for both creative professionals and creatives looking to professionalize. Author Seth Godin busts the myths that creatives are lone geniuses and creativity can’t be taught and offers practical tips and insights for bolstering creative confidence and deepening creative practice.
The Practice Review
The Practice (2020) is a thought-provoking exploration of creative work and how to consistently show up and make a difference. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- Packed with practical strategies and insights, it empowers readers to overcome creative blocks, find their voice, and develop a practice that brings their ideas to life.
- By combining wisdom from diverse fields, personal anecdotes, and thought-provoking questions, the book offers a unique perspective that challenges conventional thinking and sparks inspiration.
- With its thoughtful analysis of mindset, habits, and the creative process, it avoids being monotonous and instead engages readers in a refreshing exploration of their own creative potential.
Who should read The Practice?
- Creatives who want to turn their passion into their profession
- Creative professionals who want to get to the top of their field
- Anyone who’s struggling through a creative block
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The Practice FAQs
What is the main message of The Practice?
The main message of The Practice is to embrace the daily practice of creating and sharing our work.
How long does it take to read The Practice?
The reading time for The Practice varies, but it can be read in a few hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Practice a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Practice is worth reading as it encourages us to overcome creative obstacles and build a fulfilling creative practice.
Who is the author of The Practice?
The author of The Practice is Seth Godin.
What to read after The Practice?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Practice, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- The Song of Significance by Seth Godin
- The Second Mountain by David Brooks
- How to Know a Person by David Brooks
- The Road to Character by David Brooks
- Start Now. Get Perfect Later. by Rob Moore
- The Art of War (new version) by Sun Tzu
- Mastering Leadership by Robert J. Anderson and William A. Adams
- Lagom by Linnea Dunne
- The Power of Unwavering Focus by Dandapani
- You Only Die Once by Jodi Wellman