If habits were easy to break, then we wouldn’t need to resolve anything with each new year! Eating better, getting exercise, taking more time for ourselves, or reading a new blog or book are things we excuse ourselves from until it’s time to flip the calendar and begin anew.
It’s the repeated pattern of behavior that hones our direction toward perfection. Since it’s NCAA March Madness time, let’s talk about Caitlin Clark of Iowa. Her daily off season training schedule consists of sprints and 300 shots at the hoop, 100 3 pointers, 100 mid-range and 100 free throws with a goal of 77%.
Truly astonishing, that is one high ass bar! (Btw, if you haven’t seen her play it is a must and it’s not too late. Even if you aren’t a b-ball fan check out her game.)
Practice makes perfect!
Since most of us are not elite athletes, what is realistic for our average selves?
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition!
If we can create nearly unbreakable patterns of poor behavior, then surely, we can create nearly unbreakable patterns of positive behavior!
When I was in college, I could not get out of school fast enough. Clearly, evident in the picture below, me pictured on the left in bare feet poised to get the hell out of there fast! (Thanks Wendy L. for pulling it from the archives.)
photo by: Pat di Gregorio
I busted my average-student ass and took 40 credit hours in 2 semesters to graduate with my class and be done with it. What is the one thing that sticks out most from those days, you ask?
Our commencement speaker, W. Clement Stone. Don’t let the picture fool you! I was listening!!
A self-made entrepreneur, and philanthropist with a notable mustache, he spoke of PMA – Positive Mental Attitudes as a fundamental component of success and pounded his fist on the podium each time he emphasized “Repetition, Repetition, Repetition,” in reference to creating or changing a pattern of behavior.
“Every person has the potential ability to achieve it, they just won’t pay the price to achieve it.”
So, what is the price?
Discipline, fortitude, commitment? He believes wholeheartedly that the subconscious and conscious mind have the power to achieve great things with focus, determination and Repetition, Repetition, Repetition.
So why is it so hard to break bad patterns in favor of good?
Is it simply a function of thought process and changing the pattern of behavior? I can only answer these questions for me, but hands down, my fear of failure single handedly motivated my choices through life dating back to my lack luster path as a struggling student.
I wasn’t worried about failing per se, rather quitting or giving up. When I left college on the heels of my senior year success, I had the proof in my hand. Not the hard-fought diploma but the hard-fought discipline, fortitude and determination that brought me to the finish line.
Since then, I have carried that win forward in all of my future endeavors. Not the win itself, but the pattern of behavior that lead me there. It was a pattern I repeated at every avenue of challenge, opportunity, struggle, or mystery.
I knew if I could manage ‘that’ then surely, I can manage ‘this.’
To this day, if conversation is moving in that direction, I will say it with the same vigor whilst pounding my fist on the counter, “Repetition, Repetition, Repetition.”
Thank you, W. Clement Stone, for leaving an indelible mark on my young impressionable self. Your words continue to serve me well.
