Repetition: Why The Mundane Helps You Grow

Do you remember growing up when parents and teachers would always tell you that “practice makes perfect”?

Now do you remember actually sitting down to practice? Whether it was Math or a musical instrument, the grueling task of repeating steps over and over and over again made any child groan with disappointment when told to “go practice”.

However, this repetition is exactly what gets people from merely being good at something to reaching the top of their game.

Practice Is Doing Something Like It’s Real All The Time

I put my son into a Taekwondo class in the beginning of the year as a way to help him blow off some of his high energy. Let me tell you, it was a match made in Heaven!

He LOVES it. He takes each class with a huge smile on his face. He listens well, he pays attention, and he performs his moves with surprising accuracy.

All is well…

Until we ask him to practice at home.

At this moment, he reacts as if we destroyed one of his Lego sets. He yells “I don’t need to practice, I know what I’m doing!!!”

While he does know what he’s doing, we noticed that his movements were becoming too relaxed. He was losing his poise and precision.

One day, one of his instructors noticed and asked if he had been practicing at home. Our son honestly stated that he was in fact not doing so.

This was enough to get him to practice.

After a good amount of doing so over the next few weeks, his movements improved drastically. He had the routine down as well as the precision required to earn his next belt stripe!

Adults Don’t Like Practicing Either

Just as children loath having to take fun time out of their day to practice, adults do the same. Only they proclaim that their days are too busy.

From personal experience, I’ve heard many people say that time after work is their time. This means watching television for a few hours, eating dinner, getting ready for bed, and waking up to do the same during the week.

The weekends are worse.

Many people regard the weekends as the only time they get to use how they wish, which is true!

However, how the time is utilized is what separates people from remaining where they are versus those who move closer and closer to their goals.

Winning At Your Own Game

With all that being said, you probably know where this is headed.

If you want to get to the top of whatever game you’re in, you’ll need to put in the work.

• Want to get that promotion? Put in the work that the new position requires.
• Want to get better at playing guitar? Carve out 30 minutes and practice those chords.
• Want to improve your writing? Take some time each day to write your thoughts.

The formula for getting ahead is simple, yet admittedly is mundane and can easily put people off.

Some tips to help you stay on track with practice.

1. Set time each day to practice
2. Set an alarm on your phone to go off at that time
3. Keep a record of when you did and didn’t practice, so you can score yourself
4. Bonus: Have a loved one or good friend help keep you on track (accountability)

Get Out There And Win!

While doing things over and over again sounds daunting, if done right it can help you achieve great things.

I’ve learned that building a brand is one of the toughest things a person can do, especially when they goal is to make it a livelihood.

Publishing a bi-weekly blog, posting on multiple social media platforms, releasing videos on YouTube, sending out monthly newsletters, etc.

All of those things are mundane tasks that many entrepreneurs, aspiring and established, go through all the time.

But when they stick to it, they build an audience. They gain followers. They acquire customers.

If you want to build yourself up in anything, whether it’s moving up the corporate ladder or building something from scratch, you’ll need to develop the mental toughness to push through the mundane.

Trust me, it’s hard.

But with that patience, faith and fortitude, you can’t help but to win.

Remember…

Power Moves, Keep Moving!