Old Insights, New People

Say it again.

As I have continued to write daily on this site for year after year, I occasionally have gotten worried that I won’t have more insights to offer. But I remind myself: this might not be a new insight, but it might reach a new person. Especially if I say it in a new way or from a new vantage point.

The same is true as an educator. I don’t need to reinvent my teaching every year. Indeed, I probably need to do less reinvention and more repetition of what I know to be important or successful in the past.

The most important mentor in my life, Steve Zegree, had stock expressions that he repeated endlessly in rehearsal. He repeated them for years before I got into Gold Company and for years after I left. I can only imagine he got tired of saying them, or lost motivation to say them after so many repetitions. I certainly have an inner critic who says, “I’ve already said this enough.” But I haven’t said it enough, and I certainly haven’t said it enough to the people I’m with right now.

Figure out what’s important, then keep saying it.