We become very good at what we practice.
I recently went roller skating for the first time in decades. I took my daughter to a local rink, expecting to struggle for her sake. Then the opposite happened. I put on skates and I skated. I realized that I am fast. And stable. And balanced.
The detail that evaded me was from over 25 years ago — the last time I roller-skated I was a kid. Back then, I was also fast. And stable. And balanced.
I developed muscle memory.
Once you learn how to ride a bike, it’s nearly impossible to unlearn. A study with Alzheimer’s patients shows that musicians who can’t remember their own families can still remember to play beautiful music. While the science is still developing, it has become clear that muscle memory is a neurological process, and in the process, you can remember certain motor skills and do them without thinking about it. And those skills can last forever, barring any neurological or physical ailments (source).
All science aside: Muscle memory is repetition. Practice. Habit. We can all be natural at anything if we practice enough. And the younger we start, the better.
But also, today’s habits will leave a mark tomorrow (and 20 years from now).
If you smoke today, you will have yellow teeth and bad lungs in 10 years. If you don’t wear sunscreen, you will see sun damage in 10 years. If you practice gratitude, you will default to gratitude when you are in a bind tomorrow. If you work out today, you are training your muscles to remember the movements forever. And your outcomes are a result of those habits. If your office is cluttered, it is because you have bad organization habits. If you are always late, you have bad time management habits. Like James Clear writes in Atomic Habits, every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become. Even when you don’t realize it (I am looking at you, 5-year-old adventurer Layla who made me a cool roller-skating mom).