You try something, and it doesn’t work as expected. You try again, and still no cigar. Again and again, you toil, taking three steps backward for every inch forward. You’re burning time, money, and opportunities in a rinse cycle of failed attempts. No wonder Einstein put repetition at the heart of his definition of insanity.
The net effect has you closer to burnout than pure genius and triggers you to ask the death-knell question: Should I quit?
Are you insane?
I just cracked open a corner of Google that I wish didn’t exist, and now the words “Quantum Insanity” dominate my computer screen. This place is scarier than the dark web.
Ten minutes ago, I was high-fiving myself. I had written the body of this week’s blog post in record time and began working on the introduction. The start of a story is the most challenging part to write, so I leave it until late in the process when I’ve had time to consolidate the ideas I want to communicate.
My mind searched for an opening one-liner, typing a few words and then deleting, typing a few more, and deleting. None quite landed. The repetition triggered Einstein’s famous quote to pop into my mind.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
— ALBERT EINSTEIN
“Hmmm,” I wondered, “Did Einstein actually say that or is it a myth?”
I jumped onto Google to fact check.
Many folks argue that Einstein was wrong on this particular point. They say the same action will always produce different results because variables in the real world are unconstrained.
One writer explained the principle using dice. Pick up a handful of dice and roll them, and you’ll get a different fall and result from every roll. Same action, different result. Try to remove variables such as roll style, strength, and weighting, but still, no two rolls will be the same. Scientists could conduct a controlled dice-roll experiment and remove all variables, but it would take those extreme circumstances to make Einstein’s theory accurate.
Repetition is the root of all mastery.
I’ll write a practical version of Einstein’s statement to simplify the principle.
When you do the same thing over and over in the real world, you can expect different results.
— KIRRILY DEAR
That lies in the first lesson that you and I need to draw from all of this: We need to keep repeating actions until trends appear. That doesn’t happen after one or two attempts. Usually, it can take dozens or hundreds.
Too often, I see bold ambitions come unstuck through a lack of repetition.
They’ll send two or three email newsletters, post a few social media posts, or make a handful of phone calls. Based on that small amount of data, they conclude that their action doesn’t work. They then change tactics and guess something else that might work.
The lack of results means the next step can only be a wild guess. Of course, you can draw on other people’s results and best practices, so your guess feels safer. However, it will still be a wild guess without the results from testing within your context and goal.
I used to be good at knee-jerk redirection, but now I’m learning the power of consistency. I’ll write 100 of these blog posts before assessing their relevance and value. I execute plans for 90 days before reviewing my progress. I make fine adjustments on the hop, but they are a fraction of the total picture.
The second key point to remember is that all results have value! Frustration sets in when you feel like you’re not getting anywhere. You might want one outcome (lots of new clients, kudos, recognition) but you’re getting another (*crickets*) and that feels like failure. In reality though, its the lessons you need to have. Look at the results you’re getting as if they are nuggets of gold. What is their value? What are they showing you?
They may not be the results you expected but they are likely pointing toward better pathways and solutions.
So, when do I quit?
Ahh, this is where you expect me to give a rousing pep talk and tell you never to quit. But, alas, I’m about to let you down. Absolutely, you need to quit. When? Well that’s up to you.
My benchmark is:
- Am I learning and growing?
- Am I enjoying the journey?
I’ve gained so much (unexpected) learning from writing this blog that I will keep going regardless of how many followers, likes, or shares it receives. I enjoy writing, mastering new skills, and I value having a regular creative practice. That’s a high stack of wins and progress to me.
