English is not my native language.

I can’t call myself bilingual yet, but I have good proficiency.

I owe this to my dad. He brought me games from his work trips to the US. As a little girl, I spent countless hours in front of the computer, as Mickey Mouse asked me to build puzzles in English.

Inevitably, I’ll sometimes make mistakes, like directly translating Spanish idioms into English, resulting in phrases that sound odd to native speakers.

As a Project Manager, I lead calls with Australian clients. Recently, I noticed I was making many mistakes. I became self-conscious and started getting blocked in meetings. How could I be getting worse if I practice more than ever?

Then I remembered something. When you’re learning the right way, it can feel like you’re not making progress. You might feel things are getting more difficult instead of easier.

“The right ways to practice feel wrong. Deliberate practice is always just beyond our current ability/comfort zone.”
—Kathy Sierra

Practicing the right way—”deliberate practice”—is hard. It can make you feel dumber, as if all your effort is worthless. But don’t fall into this mental trap. Our feelings are not always accurate predictors of reality.

Doing a deadlift the right way might make you feel weaker. You’ll have to push harder for the same weight you were lifting effortlessly a week before. It will feel like you’re making little progress or even none at all, when in reality, you’re getting better. Better form, doing the movement consciously, and focusing on the mind-body connection will actually help you build strength faster.

So keep growing, and keep doing the right things.

Growth comes from trusting the process.