Repetition is the stuff that dreams (turned reality) are made of. I’m serious. When you really get down to what it is that gets the star athlete to the “GOAT” status to where he has a shoe named after him . . .
Or, the multimillionaire or billionaire to a lifestyle where he or she can sit back and let the company run on autopilot while he or she jet sets around the world doing presentations on “How to Make Your First Million” . . .
Or, the single mom of three who works full-time while going to school to get the degree to get the better job to better provide for the three little mouths she has to feed . . .
Or even, the third grader who shows up each school day (Monday through Friday) for 15-minute sessions to receive reading instruction (from Ms. Jana) to help close the reading skills gap of where he or she is to where he or she needs to be . . .
. . . it’s all about good old repetition. Nothing fancy. And if you were to interview the folks represented in the examples above, I bet you they’d say that doing THE skill-building/forward-moving tasks over and over again that get you the results you want is what creates the success story.
I GUARANTEE! If you ask those who have seen their dreams-turned-reality, they’ll tell you that their successes resulted from hard work — work that wasn’t always enjoyable and glamorous — work that required some relentless chipping away at deficiencies that eventually led to proficiencies.
It required CONSISTENCY over time. (Thought I’d use a different word in case you’re getting tired of me using REPETITION. Oh, guess I just used the word again, anyway. Hee. Hee.)
Basically, here’s what I want you to take away from today’s brief discourse of mine:
Repetition. Learn to welcome it. Learn to embrace it. Because . . . you’re going to need it to do great things in this lifetime of yours. Now, I didn’t say you had to “love” it, but doing the same skill-building thing(s), or maybe I should say the same tasks that move the needle forward, over and over again is truly what gets you the goal-achievement success story.
So, get comfortable with the somewhat mundane. The routine is, oftentimes, the “secret” ingredient that gets the goal got. Now, I don’t mean “secret” in the sense that people don’t know what the routine is. I mean “secret” in that the answer to their success is truly hiding in plain sight, because people tend to undervalue the importance of repeating actions over time to get the results.
It’s like if they don’t get their fairytale ending overnight, or if they don’t get their goal achieved by the time the microwave goes off, or if the results don’t show up RIGHT NOW or at least by next week, then they give up on the routine — that repetition that leads to the success story.
But, here’s what I want you to do if you’ve been indifferent about the importance of repetition in leading toward goal achievement. I want you to think of the mantra: “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
Okay. Now, I want you to narrow the meaning of the mantra down in light of the topic at hand. And look at REPETITION as being one of those teammates that makes the dream work.
You need it, my friend. Repetition, that is.
Being goal-minded will require you to accept repetition as part of the goal-achievement process. So, don’t look for some magical formula for creating your success story and bypass the obvious solution to your goal-elusive woes. Your success story will, more than likely, come from doing the same old-same old “on repeat” over time.
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Yes, Yes, and Yes, Phil! You are right on. Repetition is the only way to truly become proficient at something you’re trying to become proficient at. Good old-fashioned elbow grease over and over and over again. Doesn’t sound glamorous, but it’s pretty much a foolproof way to GET THINGS DONE and done successfully. Thank you so much for gracing my blog with your wonderful words. I always appreciate the wisdom you impart. It’s invaluable . . . priceless . . . and all the other words that express how very precious your comments are to me. I pray that you’re doing well and spending the time you need to get better and better. You’re such a gem, Phil. And, thanks for your encouragement regarding my tutoring adventures. My students are such a blessing — all of them — even those that bring the challenges with them — they’re all awesome. And, I’m definitely learning from them, as I pray they’re learning what they need to from me. Take care, my friend.
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Jana,
It is good to see you are getting personally involved with your reading charges. I am sure they are benefitted from it. So are you, for that matter.
There is no doubt that repetition is an essential part of learning. In recent years, it has been considered unnecessary and boring, but I am afraid that there is no better way of learning in most cases. For example, I have not heard of any successful way of learning your timetables other than using repetition techniques. As I have been teaching exclusively math for the last few years, I know how hard it is for anyone to be successful in mathematics if they are not proficient in knowing their tables. Unfortunately, repetition is essential in the learning process. The “more you do it, the better you become” applies to most things.
Repetition is particularly essential for any work, hobby or chore requiring eye-to-hand coordination. These skills cannot be raised to any reasonable level without repetition. The more you do it, the more proficient you become. That includes everything a person does, including driving a car, cooking dinner or making the bed. Repetition is essential in the learning process.
Repetition relates to the old saying, “If you don’t first succeed, try, try and try again.” You learn from your failures. Repetition again!
Jana, keep up the excellent work. I hope your readers are learning something from your efforts.
Regards, Phil
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