Tip: Repetition is the mother of all learning!
Think back to when you first learned to write. You practiced making your letters over and over again. You learned how to make them in a way that soon became second nature to your mind…and to your hand.
As you learned to read, you learned the sounds of letters and practiced reading the same words again and again. Do you remember your first-grade reader? Most of us learned to read from the Dick and Jane series. “See Dick and Jane? See their dog? His name is Spot. Dick and Jane can run. Spot can run, too.” We read that story every day and we did it because we were learning basic sounds that we could use as we grew in our reading skills.
As we learned our numbers, we learned to count and then we learned to count faster. We learned to count by twos all the way to one hundred. Counting to one hundred by fives was next and then we progressed to counting by tens. All of that was practice teaching us the power of numbers and how they worked.
I have discovered that listening to the same information over and over again helps it become settled in my mind. I can listen to an audio message numerous times and each time I learn something new. As I hear the same message over and over again, it is better received into my mind and understood in my life.
Repetition is a valuable tool in learning. Do not be short-sighted or frustrated with someone when they tell you something more than once. My father would often repeat the same thing over and over to me. He once even reminded me how to spell my own middle name: A-L-L-A-N, not E-N. I would think to myself, “Why are you telling me this again?” I’ve now lived long enough to understand it is the power of repetition that changes a life. I wish he were still alive so I could hear it all again!
We do not need a great deal of information to help us succeed in life. We only need a little bit of information that we repeat and understand every day.
When I was in military school, we did the same thing over and over and over again. Although it seemed boring at times, I learned lessons at nineteen and twenty years old that I still use today. Learning to get up, make up my bed, take a shower, have a good attitude, have an obedient spirit, fold my clothes, clean up after myself, show respect towards others and have good manners were all things that were instilled in me every day for two full years while I was in military school. At the time I did not like it. I am now so grateful for those years! The repetition of those basic activities has served me well for over fifty years. Now they have simply become a way of life.
Let me encourage you to develop a new attitude toward repetition. I find that frequently reviewing the basics in life cause my own life to work more smoothly and efficiently. After all, what is more important than practicing your ABCs? Attitude, Behavior, Conversation!
Receive the value and power that is in repetition. It will take you to places you never thought possible. Good lessons that get burned into your mind will allow you to stay focused in life on things that are important. You will be the winner for it!
Tip: Repetition is the mother of all learning!
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
