Someone Once Said…

We’ve all probably heard the phrase, “Someone once said…” followed by a pithy remark that causes us to pause for a moment and reflect on the new perspective we’ve just been offered on a particular situation or circumstance.

Maybe something like, “Someone once said, A moment of patience in a moment of anger prevents a thousand moments of regret.” Or perhaps “Someone once said, From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own.” I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

The thing is whoever first said such a phrase most likely did not say it just once. He or she probably said it thousands of times to fine-tune it before it was even worth repeating, then thousands more before someone actually did repeat it in conversation – and then it went viral to the point it’s a common phrase shared over dinner. It’s very possible that someone famous heard something wise said by someone obscure, then they repeated it and the phrase was granted immortality.

Whatever the case may be on how such phrases become the stuff of legend, the point is that nothing worth remembering is ever said just once. It’s why content creators like me (and perhaps you) need to just keep saying what we believe over and over and over until it somehow sticks into the conscious of someone listening to us.

I started playing trumpet on a whim. It was a New Year’s resolution I made when I was 8 years old. My dad taught me the basics of the fingerings, maintenance, a few scales, things like that – and then I more or less wallowed in mediocrity until I was about 14 years old. The was when a teacher gave me a shot of inspiration and courage to really go for it and develop the natural ability I was given. Something very similar happened in my early 30’s, only I was going for symphony jobs, not making All-State.

In high school, I was first chair in the Minnesota all-state band. As an adult, I didn’t win any permanent symphony jobs, but I’ve played with some really good bands and orchestras over the years, and am now “getting back in the game” as Roy Hobbs said in The Natural and am playing better and enjoying it more than ever.

None of this would have happened if I gave myself one pep talk as a short, skinny 14 year old boy. I told myself over and over and over that I was good enough, that I was worthy of the reward of working hard. I told myself these affirmations every single day for years, then the fruit of my labors appeared, seemingly overnight.

Funny how things like that work, right?

Nothing worth remembering is ever said just once. It takes consistent, disciplined effort to make your voice heard. And it doesn’t need to be profound, or something that will be quoted by the Secretary General of the United Nations. It just needs to be honest, and uniquely “you”.

Say it enough times, and you’ll eventually believe it. Then say it about a thousand more times, and others will believe it too 🙂