Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher who authored The Tao Te Ching, wisely reminds us that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

What he failed to mention was that the journey of a thousand miles is completed by taking that same step over and over and over and over and over and over again.

It’s this repetition, The Power of Practice, that is a primary factor separating the masters of their crafts from the mere talented.

For instance, in a pioneering study at Florida State University, psychologist K. Anders Ericsson discovered that the best violinists had accumulated 10,000 hours of practice while the good players had only accumulated 8,000 hours and the least skilled had only accumulated 5,000 hours of practice time.

Malcolm Gladwell further popularized this 10,000 Hours of Practice Rule in his book, Outliers, using the Beatles and Bill Gates as examples.

And when you think of the world’s greatest athletes, artists, writers and thought leaders, they all have put in their practice time, haven’t they? I doubt Lance Armstrong, Yo-Yo Ma, Meryl Streep and Richard Branson are the type to hit their snooze alarms three times every morning!

While talent and desire are definitely ingredients in the recipe of success, practice—and lots of it—is also critical to serving up a winning dish.

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Bo Eason, an ex-NFL star who went on to pen a critically acclaimed one-person show on Broadway.

In this semi-autobiographical story, Bo shares how he caught a football 1000 times a day, every day for twenty years!

And he admits that, as a young boy, when he’d be outside training in the morning dark with the dew still sparkling on the turf, he’d think about all the other young boys his age who wanted to play in the NFL but were still tucked away in their warm beds literally dreaming about it.

So I guess the question is this:

Are you just dreaming about your dream or are you willing to practice it?

Are you willing to devote a dedicated 10,000 hours of toil, sweat and tears to make your dream happen?

If you practice full-time, it’ll take you about five years to reach mastery. Part-time, it’ll take about 10 years. Part-part-time, putting in only an hour a day or a few hours a week, it could take the rest of your life.

And that’s okay, too. Because Masters know that mastery is a never-ending quest.  The practice never stops.

So if you want to be great, then you must commit. All it takes is that first step on your thousand mile journey. And then another and another and another…

And while today’s VPODs may not make your journey any easier, they do promise to add a touch of glamour to your step.

Any one of these four gorgeous pairs of vintage flapper shoes is a fine choice for a Master Vintage Crusader!

Available at Carolyn Forbes/Textile Resource.

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Vintage 1940s Secretary Dress (sleepyheadvintage) | Vintage Hattie Carnegie Necklace (gemfairy) | Vintage 1930s Dress with Bakelite Buttons (mynoble) | Vintage 1970s Handpainted Silk Kimono (love-that-vintage) | Vintage Art Deco Bracelet (minutelistit_com) | Vintage YSL Rive Gauche Dress (sunsetpoetvintage) | Vintage Christian Dior Satin Beaded Hat (urs1222) | Vintage YSL Bow Blouse (danevintage) | Vintage Flapper Pattern Dress (vntgclothing) | Vintage Stylecraft MIami Pictorial Handbag (undeclareddd) | Vintage Rose Chiffon Dress (jerrybphoto) | Trio of Vintage Hair Combs (besty4735) | Vintage Midcentury Copper Bracelet (valteeks) | Vintage Pucci Velvet Maxi Dress (jfc218) | Vintage Oscar de la Renta Counter Model Scarf and Earring Set (1$lewis) | Vintage 1950s Tulle Party Dress (thriftware) | Vintage 1960s Lilli Ann Knit Coat (americanarchive) | Vintage Enid Collins Purse with Tag and Box (kimmly) | Vintage 1980s Chanel Silk Blouse (goldenbabivintage) | Vintage Hobe Trio of Owls Necklace (8217joseph) | Vintage 1960s Lanvin Bracelet (esplenty) | Vintage 1960s Fox Collar Coat (thriftwares) | Vintage Givenchy Crystal and Pearl Necklace (treatyourselfjhb) | Vintage 1940s Dress with Handheld Train (holly_yama) | Vintage Bonnie Cashin Raincoat (crushvintagestore) | Vintage 1970s Christian Dior Necklace (sassyriverrat) | Vintage 1960s Bill Blass Wool Ruffle Dress (danevintage) | Vintage 1940s Hattie Carnegie Lipstick Holder (caesar*0420) | Vintage 1940s Adolph Katz for Coro Carnegie Hall Brooch (curtis2542) | Vintage 1970s Hooded Moroccan Cloak (pamh23) | Vintage 1980s Sequin Evening Pants (tinroofvintage) | Vintage 1960s Tapestry Coat (pamh23) | (Disclosure: Editorial selections are made by Zuburbia without direct promotional consideration from Bay sellers. Zuburbia is an affiliate member of the eBay Partner Network).

PLEASE NOTE that Zuburbia does not endorse the use of fur, feathers, leather or animal skins in fashion. These selections are offered only as more thoughtful and eco-friendly alternatives for contemporary fashionistas who have not yet eliminated animal products from their wardrobes.

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Vintage 1980s Lanvin Coat (vintage2versace2011) | Vintage Hermes Bracelet (rhinestone-diva) | Vintage 1960s Givenchy Nouvelle Boutique Coat (saturday_sisters) | Vintage 1970s Hand Knit Sweater (snyggla) | Vintage 1980s Harley Davidson Jacket (racktrafficvintage) | Vintage 1920s Chiffon Flapper Dress (mmmost) | Vintage Carved Bakelite Bracelet (urbantiques) | Vintage 1970s Reversible Blanket Coat (sistesroftheblackmoon) | Vintage Roberta di Camerino Handbag (arcananyc) | Vintage 1970s Striped Wool Coat (mcatasha) | Vintage Missoni Sweater (ivy-wall) | Vintage 1960s Juliana Necklace (blessedbe57) | Vintage 1950s Blazer (trendsettervintage) | Vintage Moschino Pashmina (s.malika) | Vintage 1960s Estevez Evening Gown (livewithanopenheart) | Vintage 1950s Cocktail Dress Suit (redhousevintage) | Vintage 1960s Donald Brooks Dress (scout_la) | Vintage Joseff of Hollywood Necklace (1weststar) | Vintage Chanel Earrings (trifari.com) | Vintage 1970s Southwestern Maxi Dress (bustownmodern) | (Disclosure: Editorial selections are made by Zuburbia without promotional consideration from Bay sellers but Zuburbia is an affiliate member of the eBay Partner Network)

PLEASE NOTE that Zuburbia does not endorse the use of fur, feathers, leather or animal skins in fashion. These selections are offered only as more thoughtful and eco-friendly alternatives for contemporary fashionistas who have not yet eliminated animal products from their wardrobes.

(To receive the eBay Roundup via email, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

“How do you expect to change the world if you can’t do ten perfect pushups?!?!”

Darien Gold, my genius pilates instructor, recently issued this challenge during class and well, I have to admit, she makes a good point.

Keeping our bodies healthy has got to be at the top of all of our priority lists, long before we get to items like “own one pair of jeans that fit perfectly.”

After all, I’d rather have a healthy body and the sorriest-looking clothes you’ve ever seen than an unhealthy body and the designer-filled closet of my dreams.

But making health a priority isn’t easy…and it may not always be popular with your friends and family.

While you’d think your loved ones would support you in your quest for good health, it’s often these same loved ones who encourage you to break your diet with “just one bite” or complain when you crawl out of bed to go to fitness class on Saturday morning instead of staying home to cook the pancakes.

Plus it takes an enormous amount of discipline and desire to eat ice cream only a few times a year or limit yourself to one martini on a night out with the girls.

But, as they say, HOW YOU DO ANYTHING IS HOW YOU DO EVERYTHING.

And when you develop respect for your own body and health, when you develop the discipline to do the things that get you healthy and keep you healthy, and when you develop an attitude that health is indeed wealth, you will find you take these same attitudes with you into everything that you do.

Before long you’ll find that healthy respect you developed for your own body will extend to your loved ones and friends. You’ll want all of them to be healthy, too.

Then it will extend to strangers and perhaps you’ll find yourself doing a walk for cancer or volunteering at a local health clinic.

Over time it can even extend to the planet and before you know it you’re helping out at Heal the Bay or fighting to clean up your local park.

And you’ll even be able to see how your healthy attitude extends to simple things like your clothes and other possessions.

You’ll want to keep them healthy and looking good, too, and before long you’re treating them differently.

No more tossing the laundry into the washing machine before turning items inside out and making sure everything is buttoned and zipped.

No more undressing and tossing your clothes over a chair at the end of the day. You’ll take a moment to hang them up and air them out. On real hangers. Not those awful wire ones from the dry cleaners.

Heck, you may eventually say no to the dry cleaners altogether and find yourself hand-washing more and dry cleaning only a handful of items a year.

And if you’re having trouble finding the motivation and discipline you need to get or keep your body healthy, why not start here?

Because the cycle works in reverse, too.

Take great care of your clothes and you just might find yourself wanting to take way better care of other things like your body and health, too.

For inspiration, just look at today’s VPOD.

This vintage 1920s flapper dress with a Southwestern beaded motif received tender loving care over decades and decades and it looks almost as good as the day it was made.

I certainly hope I can be this well-preserved and look this good when I’m approaching a 100 years old!

And that’s one healthy attitude for any Vintage Crusader!

Available at Vintage Textile.

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Vintage 1970s Tribal Necklace (bustownmodern) | Vintage 1950s Silk Tulle Gown (mynoble) | Vintage 1920s Chiffon Flapper Dress (gildedrage) | Vintage 1970s Halston Sequin Top (modeandcookies) | Vintage YSL Skirt (sleepyheadvintage) | Vintage 1920s MicroBeaded Handbag (nillyram) | Vintage 1950s Ensemble (tomorrows_envy) | Vintage 1970s Crochet Dress (monicasvintagefashions) | Vintage 1970s Donald Brooks Scallop Top (modeandcookies) | Vintage 1960s Cocktail Dress (jonque) | Vintage 1965 Christian Dior Brooch (timeless_antiques) | Vintage 1970s Lilli Diamond Evening Gown (valentine.vintage) | Vintage 1960s Christian Dior Interchangeable Pendant Necklace (aunt_teke) | Vintage 1980s Lanvin Skirt (dutch-indo) | Vintage Vera Tunic Top (rjs1956) | Vintage Hattie Carnegie Necklace and Earrings (sdoe22) | Vintage Beaded Flapper Dress (ezsellusa) | Vintage 1980s Chanel Necklace (redefinedvintage) | Vintage Trifari Mastsumoto Necklace and Earrings (autnlovintage) | Vintage 1980s Adele Simpson Cocktail Dress (crustvintagestore) | (Disclosure: Editorial selections are made by Zuburbia without promotional consideration from Bay sellers. Zuburbia is an affiliate member of the eBay Partner Network).

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