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Quote of the Week
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
—Aristotle
This Bears Repeating
A mentor once told me something that stuck—and honestly, annoyed me at first. “As a leader, you have to get comfortable repeating yourself.” Not re-explaining. Not clarifying once or twice. Repeating yourself.
At the time, it felt counterintuitive. We live in an era that rewards novelty. New ideas. New angles. New content every day. Authenticity is praised, originality is celebrated, and repetition can feel uninspiring.
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Consistency Builds Trust
People say they want authenticity, and they do—but what they rely on is predictability.
Whether you’re starting your journey as a creator, running for office, launching a product, or leading a team, your audience is subconsciously asking the same question: Can I trust you to be who you said you are?
Consistency answers that question.
Research in communication and marketing reinforces this. The long-standing “Rule of Seven” suggests people need to encounter a message multiple times before it sticks, not because they’re slow, but because attention is fragmented and context changes (according to marketing theory popularized by Dr. Jeffrey Lant and widely cited in communications literature).
Repetition isn’t redundancy. It’s reinforcement. When your message stays the same, people begin to associate you with it.
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Say the Same Thing—Better
The mark of a great communicator isn’t originality every time. It’s the ability to take a big idea and say it simply, repeatedly, and clearly—without losing the heart of it.
Think about the leaders we quote most. Their ideas aren’t complicated; they’re distilled.
Great brands don’t constantly reinvent their message. They refine it. According to Harvard Business Review, “clear, consistent communication increases alignment, engagement, and execution across teams” (HBR, The Necessary Art of Persuasion).
Different words. Same message.
If you find yourself saying, “I feel like I’ve already said this,” you’re probably just getting started.
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Final Thought: Stay on Message
In leadership, drift is dangerous.
New opportunities come. New doors open. New ideas demand attention. For multi-hyphenates especially, life moves fast and pulls hard. Without intention, your message can quietly fracture.
Repetition is what keeps you anchored. Staying on message doesn’t mean you’re rigid. It means you’re rooted. Every time you repeat your core idea, you’re reminding others—and yourself—that you are trustworthy.
See you next Monday,
If you’re reading this far… I hope this message finds you well. I’m sharing from my heart in hopes that you will be inspired to unearth and live out your God-given purpose. Hopefully, something I said resonated. I would love to hear from you if so. Please feel free to reach out to me on social media.
FYI: I’m mostly active on LinkedIn these days. If you were forwarded this message, you can subscribe here to receive thoughts like this directly in your inbox. And don’t forget to check out the latest episode of my podcast, ConvoRoom with Mark Allen Patterson.