Repetition
Human beings are very interesting creatures. We have a very advanced learning process fully integrated into our brains, but most of us are not aware of how it works. We assume that in order for us to learn something we simply need to be exposed to the concept and to consciously and logically understand it. Once understood, we think that “we got it”.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of what we learn and “get” we really don’t “get”. Our brains are wired to reject concepts and to accept them not based on logical merit, but rather based on repetition. This is how advertisers are able to put ideas into our heads without these ideas really making any sense.
For example, let me tell you a very strange concept which makes no logical sense. If you go to the liquor store today and pickup a 12-pack of beer, there will automatically be a huge party with lots of pretty girls in tiny bikini’s at your house when you get there. Rain will turn into sunshine and you will be instantly teleported to the beach where everyone will dance around and party.
A more accurate description would probably be that you’ll pickup the beer, throw it into the fridge and drink it alone as you sit in front of the boob tube and watch reruns. The only girls you’ll see in tiny bikini’s will be the ones on the commercial that sold you the beer.
When we see these advertisements, we know they’re not realistic, so why do we watch them? Well, we think that these commercials don’t do anything to us…we feel that since there is no logical sense to them, what does it hurt to watch them? They’re not really influencing us, right? We’re too smart for that crap, right? I don’t think so. Repetition is way more powerful than you could ever imagine.
Something doesn’t necessarily need to be true in order for us to accept it. We just need to hear it enough times. Milk does a body good, right? Rolaids spells relief, right? Well, no…Rolaids actually spells Rolaids. Relief is spelled totally differently. But listening to those kinds of things makes us equate Rolaids = Relief. Relief from what? Heartburn of course! But wait…what’s heartburn? Why do we have heartburn? Is it something we should be concerned about? No, just take Rolaids and you’ll have Relief! 
So what does this all have to do with making money doing what you love? Well, we need to understand that the majority of the world out there does NOT do what they love in order to make money. The majority of people don’t even believe it’s possible to make money doing what they love. Unfortunately, unless you hang out with a really successful crowd, chances are that you’ll probably be surrounded by people who constantly talk about how hard it is to make money, how broke they are, how difficult it’s getting, how high the gas prices are going and all this repetitive negative talk that has an effect on you even if you don’t realize it.
Their limiting beliefs and their doubts are going to be totally affecting you because they are going to come at you with repetition. You might be thinking of starting a business, but you keep hearing “Business is risky.” and “Don’t start a business, someone I know lost money on it.” etc. etc.
You may think that your logical mind is smarter than that, and your will is set on becoming an Inspired Money Maker, but repetition will wear you down. Unless of course you take charge. This is where affirmations are powerful. If you can discipline yourself to constantly repeat positive affirmations to yourself over and over and over again, day in and day out, you will be able to counter some of that negative programming that’s out there.
I wrote a list of positive “How to Make Money Doing What You Love – Affirmations” which you can use, or simply write your own.
Another technique I use, besides affirmations is talking to people about things that I want to be true. For example, I have a few people I talk to about Blogging and I’m always telling them how it’s possible to make money from Blogging. I tell them that my Blogging income is growing. I tell them that it’s becoming easier and easier now to make money online. I am very repetitive with this, because I know that the more I repeat it the more I believe it and then it becomes truth.
Repetition When Reading Books
Another area of personal development where repetition can be very powerful is when we read books. A lot of people that are just getting into personal development and reading books make the mistake of being unhappy and get frustrated when they read a self-help book and they realize that a concept taught in a book is something they already read about.
If for example one chapter out of ten talks about a concept they already read about in a different book, they feel that this chapter was a waste for them. This is not true. The power of self-help books is not just in the new concepts that they bring to our attention, but also in the power of repetition. If for example you read 20 different books on the topic of Law of Attraction, you will probably run across constant repetition of a few concepts that are covered over and over in all the books.
To the person who doesn’t understand repetition and it’s power over our brains, this may be a disappointment and you’ll generally see them skimming through the book thinking to themselves “Oh, I already know this….yup, already know this part too, where’s the good stuff? Ohp, I already know this part too, this book is useless, I already know all this stuff in it!”
I’ve been guilty of this myself, but ever since I learned about repetition I have no problems reading about concepts that I already know from different authors to hear their version of the concept, and to take advantage of the repetition of hearing it again. I know that the more I hear a concept and the more I think about it, the more it’s going to sink in.
Repetition is the mother of all learning. Are you utilizing the power of repetition to help you along on your goal of making money doing what you love?
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Paul Piotrowski is a highly ambitious and passionate self-improvement fanatic who has spent over 13 years relentlessly pursuing and studying personal development wisdom in almost every area of life. His highly intuitive drive to seek wisdom and truth in life has led him through very diverse areas of experience ranging from entrepreneurship and business, natural [...]
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I’ve been trying to use these concepts with my web design business. My business partner has yet to really understand all of the concepts you talk about. He is a pretty religious guy and uses the law of attraction daily through his faith but doesn’t harness in the same way that I feel I do. Lately our business has really spiked because I’ve been focusing on designing my life. We’ve had a few pretty major setbacks and I honestly believe its because he doesn’t understand how to harness the law of attraction and we’re only half way there as a team. What do you suggest I do? Maybe this could be a good topic for another post. One thing I’ve done that directly relates to this post, is just repeat over and over to him that thinking positive will eventually get us where we need to be as a company. Thanks again for your inspiring words.
Paul,
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Ace
Repetition is by far the most powerful influence towards thought and action. Lets take the abused child for example, he or she is told that they are worthless their entire childhood, they are beaten and told it’s because they are satan’s child – or something to that effect – and they grow up to beat their children and continue this vicious cycle. They grow up feeling worthless and wanting to spread that worthlessness to their children, because that is what was instilled into them through years of repetition.
On a more negative side, but that is the first example that popped into my head.
Head on Apply directly to forhead! Head on Apply directly to forhead!
I’ve had clients and friends tell me that there have been times when they repeated affirmations every day for months and months with no apparent progress being made. What do you say to people like that? Are there some subconscious beliefs that are so entrenched that even several months of mind treatment cannot uproot them?
Right on! I’m really guilty the “I know this already” thing too. When reading a certain chapter of my newly delivered math books, I tend to skip almost half of each chapter because I think that I know everything about it. Then when I get to a part which I totally do not understand, I always have to go back a few pages to get what it’s all about.
I’d add that repetition with awareness and reflection is the source of all learning.
@Thomas Lomax: There is no single solution to it all. However, from my experience most people don’t know how to properly write affirmations. Meaning, they have good intentions, but they affirm things such as:
“I want to be successful.” or something like that, which doesn’t help you become successful, it just helps you to create the feeling of wanting to be successful.
Affirmations are just one tool people should use in an arsenal of other tools. I have found them to work in a lot of cases for me, but not 100% of the time. Sometimes you have to go beyond affirmations and try other things.
@Thomas Lomax: Oh, one other thing. When I’ve had people tell me the same thing with them saying they’ve done something for months and months and it doesn’t work, I’ve questioned them further and found that they were grossly exaggerating how much they did.
For example, some people will do 5 affirmations for 2 days in a row, then take a break for a month and a half and then do 5 more for 1 day, then take two weeks off, then do one more affirmation and claim they’ve been doing them for 3 months straight without missing a day.
Repitition is helpful because it also confirms what we’re learning. When we see some of the same concepts, let’s say about the law of attraction, in many books it lends credibility and ensures that we’re on the right track.
I agree that most folks don’t stick with affirmations or anything else long enough for them to work. Then they act amazed when they see champions, such as the Olympic medalists, who win because they were willing to repeat, sacrifice and keep going beyond the last record.
@Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D.: There is a lot you can learn from the olympics.
One thing to also learn is that in order to have full financial abundance in our lives, it’s not necessary for us to be as good as the olympians in everything we do in our lives. We don’t have to be perfect like them. I think too often people watch these amazing athletes do ONE THING so perfectly and we assume that they do everything else in their lives perfectly.
Just because they know how to row a boat near-perfectly, doesn’t necessarily mean they know how to change a diaper, or setup a Blog, or cook, or design graphics, or any of the other wonderful talents that any one of us might have.
In fact, you don’t even have to go that far. Take a Row Boat dude and put him in the Gymnastics competition and they’ll probably fail miserably because that is not the ONE thing they laser focus their efforts on.
In fact, I would go as far as saying that the Olympics should actually be called “Specialist Olympics”, meaning they represent the best of the best in the world for people who choose to specialize in just ONE thing.
The trick is to recognize that and watch them from the point of view that human beings are amazing when they set their mind to something, but we shouldn’t feel like these people are somehow better than us just because they specialized in something. There are many of us that are just as disciplined in life, but we spread our efforts into many areas, such as being a mom, cleaning the house, running a part time business, studying Yoga, taking some courses etc. all at the same time.
I gonna do it, forever planning, reading, analysing, paralysing. Ok, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
This is great material, very readable. By the end of this weekend, I will know what the first step is for me. Thanks Paul.