It is likely that you have heard someone (perhaps a teacher or a parent) say Practice Makes Perfect!  And it is also likely that you may have rolled your eyes when you heard that for the tenth or one-hundredth time.  For the sake of an exercise, let’s focus not on making things “perfect” but on making them better.  One of the most effective means to make significant and long-lasting changes in life is to make repeated attempts at that change.  When you were younger, you didn’t learn how to ride a bike or jump rope by doing it once – – you learned how to master these fun skills by doing them repeatedly.  The reality is that practice is essential when we are interested in learning a new skill and having that skill become part of our life.  Take a look at what you are interested in learning at this point in your life, and see if you can carve away a little bit of time on a regular (weekly, if not daily) basis to practice . . . and then evaluate how far you have come over the course of a month!