We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Will Durant
When we say that something is "repetitive," we tend to mean it in a negative way. When someone says the same thing "over and over," for example, we say that s/he is being repetitive. It's not usually a compliment. The word "repetition," however, tends to suggest a commitment to learning a new skill or developing a new habit. How many "reps" did s/he have?
In a bit of an extreme example, the late Moe Norman was a Canadian golfer back in the 60s and 70s. Described as "shy," the thought now is that he may have been on the autism spectrum. He had some success in Canada, but not in this country. Tiger Woods once remarked that Norman was one of only two golfers (Ben Hogan was the other) who "owned their swing." From the age of about 16, Norman hit 800-1000 shots a day, five days a week. In a demonstration in 1995, he hit 1500 drives in a row, all of them landing within 15 yards of each other. Even the "tall tale" golfers of OB could not match that.
So what does any of that have to do with us here at TG? Well, first off, we'd all do well to embrace a certain amount of repetition if we want to get better at something. I don't know about you, but if I'm going in for surgery, I'd like it if the surgeon had successfully performed 1000 of these procedures before I came along. Secondly, we ought not use repetition to replace conscious thought or creativity. Jesus warned us that when we pray, we were not simply to use "vain repetitions as the heathen do." Goals and needs and hopes change; our words should change too, as we speak from our hearts.
Grace and Peace,
NT
Matthew 6: 5-8
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Will Durant
When we say that something is "repetitive," we tend to mean it in a negative way. When someone says the same thing "over and over," for example, we say that s/he is being repetitive. It's not usually a compliment. The word "repetition," however, tends to suggest a commitment to learning a new skill or developing a new habit. How many "reps" did s/he have?
In a bit of an extreme example, the late Moe Norman was a Canadian golfer back in the 60s and 70s. Described as "shy," the thought now is that he may have been on the autism spectrum. He had some success in Canada, but not in this country. Tiger Woods once remarked that Norman was one of only two golfers (Ben Hogan was the other) who "owned their swing." From the age of about 16, Norman hit 800-1000 shots a day, five days a week. In a demonstration in 1995, he hit 1500 drives in a row, all of them landing within 15 yards of each other. Even the "tall tale" golfers of OB could not match that.
So what does any of that have to do with us here at TG? Well, first off, we'd all do well to embrace a certain amount of repetition if we want to get better at something. I don't know about you, but if I'm going in for surgery, I'd like it if the surgeon had successfully performed 1000 of these procedures before I came along. Secondly, we ought not use repetition to replace conscious thought or creativity. Jesus warned us that when we pray, we were not simply to use "vain repetitions as the heathen do." Goals and needs and hopes change; our words should change too, as we speak from our hearts.
Grace and Peace,
NT
Matthew 6: 5-8
