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Let's revisit an important topic: deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is different than just playing your pipes. In his Fortune magazine cover story, Geoff Colvin defines deliberate practice as: It's activity that's explicitly intended to improve performance, that reaches for objectives just beyond one's level of competence, provides feedback on results, and involves high levels of repetition. In his excellent book, Talent is Overrated, he explains how deliberate practice differs from simply playing your instrument or doing your sport or other activity. It takes high levels of focus and concentration. It identifies your current skills and pushes you to the next level. It requires clearly defined long-term and short-term goals. It requires that you get continuous feedback on your progress, both from an instructor coach or mentor and through self-observation. It requires careful analysis and reflection after your performances and practice sessions. Colvin goes further to explain the importance of a teacher, coach, or mentor: Decades of ...