“I try not to repeat myself. It’s the hardest thing in the world to do — there are only so many notes one human being can master…”
— Prince
Ok, coming from The Artist Currently Known Again As Prince, there is no telling what he was talking about. But somewhere buried in those words, he is making a point a lot of people never catch because they’re too focused on his high heels. But, let me pretend I know what he’s saying.
In the course of life, we all have small successes. Our first straight A report card; our first date with someone we have a crush on; our first job, car, house, whatever. Then there comes a point where it just gets harder to reach that next success, that next accomplishment. And instead of continuing to push forward, some people stay where they are, continuing to master whatever it is that they already did master.
And with each accomplishment of something already accomplished [i.e. someone who just lost a job as an accounts payable clerk and looks for another job as an accounts payable clerk when maybe it's time to go after a staff accountant position], people get bored with it, or even frustrated. Einstein once said insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. And it doesn’t always get easier to find that success again.
What it sounds like Prince is alluding to is not playing the same music or type of music over and over again. There’s only so many times he can sing Purple Rain before it’s just another song, so he makes more hits. But a lot of people out here are still singing that same ol’ song. Instead, it’s time to tighten up your skills and find that new song to sing.
