Practice makes... Permanent

By Tricia Scott 

I would love to take credit for the title of today's love letter, but the truth is I picked this up last week as I embarked upon the Quarterdeck Inspirational Leadership Programme from course leader Gavin, and it was one of those phrases that really stuck with me. 

Practice makes permanent.

Most people are familiar with the phrase practice makes perfect, but this one got me thinking because it's the things, good and bad, that we repeatedly do that stick, right?

How often have you become trapped in a negative thought pattern? Something like 'this is hard' or 'I haven't got time' (my personal favourite, love to hate). What happens? It gets more challenging, and we have less time—shocker. 

These thoughts are fascinating, don't you think? Consciously, we would all love to believe that we are positive people, but there's something weirdly comfort blanket-like when it comes to negativity. My theory is that as female founders or leaders, there's always that underlying pressure to succeed, which can cause us to prepare for the worst constantly, so we prepare a battle shield against disappointment. If we prepare for the worst, we can't be caught off guard, right?

Of course, this comfort isn't really comforting at all—it's stifling. It keeps us from seeing new opportunities and growth because we're too focused on bracing for the next blow, so the cycle continues. So, how do we begin to make the shift?

We start by noticing. 

Seriously, note what you think and do throughout the day, and I promise you'll be surprised. I've noticed all kinds of repeated patterns in my daily life, and let me tell you, a lot of them could be better. As entrepreneurs and founders, we often face challenges (more than most) that test our mindset, and it's all too easy to fall into habits that simply don't serve us (hello, comfort, my old friend). 

This isn't an exercise in looking for the negative though. While getting into this practice, I realised I've also formulated many great habits without trying or realising. For example, I recently started using Trello on Sundays to plan my week. I mark up everything I need to do and plan out when I want to do them on moveable cards. It helps me to visualise my week and gives me space to tick off the things I've done, move the rest and remember everything I need to. It only took a couple of weeks of seeing how much more in control this made me feel juggling multiple projects before I was hooked. 

So how about you? What are you practising?  

Is it time to take a good look at your daily routine and thoughts?

Letting go of negative patterns means shifting our daily thoughts toward possibility instead of disaster. In doing so, we create much-needed space for better outcomes. As with any habit, the more we practice optimism and resilience, the less we rely on the safety of negative thinking and the more we step into our power as leaders.

You're a leader now, and with great power comes great responsibility, and never more so than to ourselves.

This is your time. I believe in you (always).

👉🏼If you want to journey with me through 2024, I email our Hello CEO mailing list every Monday. To join, head to The Homepage and sign up!

Tricia Scott is a passionate startup business mentor and the Founder and Editor of The Female CEO - Create Evolve Overcome, a platform and digital magazine holding the space to showcase female entrepreneurs from all over the world. 

The Female CEO is gaining global recognition daily and Tricia is able to bring her own level of expertise as a start-up mentor and multi-company director to her very exclusive table along with her team of brilliant Guest Editors and Contributors. You'll usually find her with her MacBook in one hand and a coffee or a glass of something fizzy in the other. Reach out anytime!