WEBVTT 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:05.000 Hi, yesterday we considered the routines that 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:07.620 shape our days without giving us much thought. 00:00:08.179 --> 00:00:12.179 Now repetition is not the enemies and many of 00:00:12.179 --> 00:00:16.140 the best things in life depend upon it. We can 00:00:16.140 --> 00:00:19.839 become skilled by practicing. We maintain relationships 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:23.399 by showing up consistently and we care for our 00:00:23.399 --> 00:00:26.640 bodies through the ordinary actions repeated 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:30.570 over time. So a meaningful ritual can steady 00:00:30.570 --> 00:00:34.189 us when the rest of life feels uncertain. But 00:00:34.189 --> 00:00:38.289 repetition does not always move us forward. In 00:00:38.289 --> 00:00:41.469 computer programming, a loop instructs a system 00:00:41.469 --> 00:00:45.350 to repeat an operation. And a useful loop also 00:00:45.350 --> 00:00:48.270 includes a condition that tells it when to stop. 00:00:48.710 --> 00:00:52.450 And without that exit, the program can continue 00:00:52.450 --> 00:00:55.189 performing the same steps without making any 00:00:55.189 --> 00:00:58.490 progress. So something similar could happen in 00:00:58.490 --> 00:01:02.179 our lives. I currently own a successful online 00:01:02.179 --> 00:01:05.459 business, but this only happened because I had 00:01:05.459 --> 00:01:08.980 other projects that I had started and chose to 00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:12.260 stop. Now, these were all difficult decisions 00:01:12.260 --> 00:01:15.620 because there was some progress in these projects. 00:01:15.859 --> 00:01:19.159 I had developed some good routines that worked. 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:24.400 Maybe on a smaller scale, I can check my phone 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:27.379 more frequently than I need. Another bad habit. 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:31.420 So I have plenty of routines that I need to either 00:01:31.420 --> 00:01:36.799 stop or modify. I also realize that it is easy 00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:40.299 to respond to stress doing something like, let's 00:01:40.299 --> 00:01:43.280 say, checking the sports scores, hypothetically. 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:48.040 So some of my repetition is good, but other repetition 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:51.719 is not. So a question I ask myself is whether 00:01:51.719 --> 00:01:56.370 this repetition is producing anything new. Am 00:01:56.370 --> 00:01:59.950 I gaining understanding or am I moving toward 00:01:59.950 --> 00:02:03.430 a decision? Am I allowing myself to feel something 00:02:03.430 --> 00:02:08.409 that needs to be felt? Or am I simply traveling 00:02:08.409 --> 00:02:12.590 around the same circle? So recognizing a loop 00:02:12.590 --> 00:02:15.090 does not mean we can immediately command it to 00:02:15.090 --> 00:02:18.909 stop. Anxious thoughts and established habits 00:02:18.909 --> 00:02:22.090 are not broken simply by criticizing ourselves 00:02:22.090 --> 00:02:25.280 for having them. But we might be able to introduce 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:29.580 something different. Maybe we can take one concrete 00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:33.319 action instead of continuing to imagine every 00:02:33.319 --> 00:02:36.699 possibility. Perhaps we can write the concern 00:02:36.699 --> 00:02:40.919 down and then return to it at a later time. For 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:44.560 me, it helps to get outside into nature or to 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:48.659 go for a run, to meditate or pray or simply to 00:02:48.659 --> 00:02:52.439 talk to a friend. Sometimes the exit from a loop 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:56.280 is not a better thought. It's a new action, or 00:02:56.280 --> 00:02:59.379 a change of setting, or maybe the presence of 00:02:59.379 --> 00:03:02.800 another person. Our repeated patterns should 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:06.159 help us remain faithful to what matters. But 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:09.599 when repetition only drains our attention, it 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:13.819 may be time to look for an exit. So today, consider 00:03:13.819 --> 00:03:17.719 one reasonable question. What thought or habit 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:21.039 or problem have you been repeating without getting 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:24.680 anywhere? And then ask, what might interrupt 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:27.599 the pattern? Maybe not permanently or perfectly, 00:03:27.860 --> 00:03:31.979 but maybe just for today. Would it help to act 00:03:31.979 --> 00:03:36.460 or to pause or maybe to invite another person 00:03:36.460 --> 00:03:37.099 into it?