A student came to a teacher and said,
“I tried what you said.”

The teacher asked,
“And?”

The student nodded.
“It worked.”

The teacher smiled.
“Good. Then keep going.”

The student hesitated.
“Well… I’m not sure yet.”

The teacher looked at him.
“You just said it worked.”

“It did,” the student said.
“But that was just one time.”

The teacher asked,
“What happened differently?”

The student replied,
“It felt easier. I didn’t hesitate as much. I kept up better.”

The teacher nodded.
“Then use it again.”

The student shifted.
“I don’t know. What if that was just a good run?”

“Then you’ll find out,” the teacher said.

The student frowned.
“But what if it doesn’t hold up in harder material?”

The teacher was quiet for a moment.

“You’ve already seen that it helps,” he said.
“Why are you stepping back?”

The student didn’t answer right away.

Finally, he said,
“I’ve been doing it the other way for a long time.”

The teacher nodded.
“Yes.”

The student looked down.
“I don’t want to switch too quickly and mess things up.”

The teacher asked,
“Did it mess things up when you tried it?”

“No,” the student said.

The teacher waited.

After a moment, the student said quietly,
“It just feels strange.”

The teacher nodded again.
“Of course it does.”

The student looked up.
“So what should I do?”

The teacher said,
“Use what works—even if it feels unfamiliar.”

The student hesitated.

The teacher added,
“If you don’t, you won’t stay where you are.”

The student looked relieved for a moment.

Then the teacher finished:

“You already know it works. You’re just not ready to leave what doesn’t.”