Again…and Again

For more than twenty years I was a baseball coach. In that time, I was involved in thousands of nuanced situations (first-and-thirds, double steals, defensive alignments). I was forced to remember rules and facts (the 13 ways to balk, the six kinds of bunt we taught, pitching grips). At the end of my career, I was only able to identify two “rules” that were indisputable facts. These were two truths that can not be denied; 1) if something is not fun we will quit doing it… we will go to great, even ethically dubious, lengths to stop the activity and 2) repetition is the road to mastery. These two truths were manifest in almost every practice drill. Taking 100 ground balls or laying down 50 practice bunts proved the axioms beyond doubt.

Repetition is the bedrock of excellence and it is fortunate that humans are wired for it. Everything from walking to the mantras of a Buddhist monk are natural, repetitive exercises that lead somewhere. Repetition can also be incredibly boring as the stab at the 90th ground ball makes clear but mastery will come if the reps are intentional and the spirit is willing. I’ve seen the surprise on the face of the third baseman who made a backhand stab that he – himself – thought was impossible. The old adage, “if you fail to practice, you practice to fail” is true, beyond doubt. As my marathoning wife once said, “if you do the training, you will do the race.” Repetition and finding the fun in it pays huge dividends.

Today, in 92128, our normal lives are gone and we must find ways to master that fact. For me, repetition is the way. Daily walks, daily talks, daily reading, daily cooking…all contribute to the establishment of a new normal. When these activities become boring, I realize that the next challenge is to find the fun. I helped my wife teach a running class some time ago and a young woman runner, whose pace for the marathon was calculated at five hours was discouraged and certain that she could not sustain the necessary physical energy to endure a five hour period. I asked her if she was in love. She was. I then asked her if she knew the song “I could have danced all night.” She did. Then I asked her if she could do that with the object of her affections. She could. A light went on… if you perceive a task as an onerous job, you will fail; if you see the fun in it you will be astounded when your efforts pay off. You can actually do what you thought would defeat you.

So, I am currently committed to the dual tasks of performing repeated positive acts and finding the fun in them. I expect to find that I can do things I never thought possible.. like surviving the counter-intuitive state we are now in.

My wash-rinse-repeat program is in full bloom. I hope yours is too. Like I used to say on the ball field RUN IT AGAIN.

Repetition