In recently listening to the Founders episode on Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue for the last 37 years, they shared a simple sentence that tied together a number of ideas I’ve had.
The sentence was simply “repetition is the foundation of clarity of thought“.
One of my early posts in my daily blogging streak was about the very idea of improving my clarity of thought. Most of history’s greatest entrepreneurs were known for their incredibly clear thinking, and that’s something that many of us aspire to. Those entrepreneurs all love to read, but the ability to think clearly involves making use of that reading and knowledge to shape your thoughts.
The related piece is repetition, which is something that I’ve always struggled with. I’ve long felt that you should get your idea out there and then move on to the next, but I know that to be faulty.
I first saw the fault in myself when I was leading a middle school Bible study class 20 years ago. I had the lesson plan, but I’d be done in 10 minutes of the 60 minute class as I’d simply share each point in the lesson and move on. Of course, none of the students would remember it from the single point; it takes stories and parallels and repetition to bring it home.
The same is true for us. Robert Carnes encourages us to “keep sharing” from a post of mine a few years ago, and I gave a few more tips (mostly for my own benefit) earlier this year.
Clarity of thought is still something I will continue to strive for, and repetition is one great way to help get there.
