Hi, yesterday we considered the routines that
shape our days without giving us much thought.
Now repetition is not the enemies and many of
the best things in life depend upon it. We can
become skilled by practicing. We maintain relationships
by showing up consistently and we care for our
bodies through the ordinary actions repeated
over time. So a meaningful ritual can steady
us when the rest of life feels uncertain. But
repetition does not always move us forward. In
computer programming, a loop instructs a system
to repeat an operation. And a useful loop also
includes a condition that tells it when to stop.
And without that exit, the program can continue
performing the same steps without making any
progress. So something similar could happen in
our lives. I currently own a successful online
business, but this only happened because I had
other projects that I had started and chose to
stop. Now, these were all difficult decisions
because there was some progress in these projects.
I had developed some good routines that worked.
Maybe on a smaller scale, I can check my phone
more frequently than I need. Another bad habit.
So I have plenty of routines that I need to either
stop or modify. I also realize that it is easy
to respond to stress doing something like, let's
say, checking the sports scores, hypothetically.
So some of my repetition is good, but other repetition
is not. So a question I ask myself is whether
this repetition is producing anything new. Am
I gaining understanding or am I moving toward
a decision? Am I allowing myself to feel something
that needs to be felt? Or am I simply traveling
around the same circle? So recognizing a loop
does not mean we can immediately command it to
stop. Anxious thoughts and established habits
are not broken simply by criticizing ourselves
for having them. But we might be able to introduce
something different. Maybe we can take one concrete
action instead of continuing to imagine every
possibility. Perhaps we can write the concern
down and then return to it at a later time. For
me, it helps to get outside into nature or to
go for a run, to meditate or pray or simply to
talk to a friend. Sometimes the exit from a loop
is not a better thought. It's a new action, or
a change of setting, or maybe the presence of
another person. Our repeated patterns should
help us remain faithful to what matters. But
when repetition only drains our attention, it
may be time to look for an exit. So today, consider
one reasonable question. What thought or habit
or problem have you been repeating without getting
anywhere? And then ask, what might interrupt
the pattern? Maybe not permanently or perfectly,
but maybe just for today. Would it help to act
or to pause or maybe to invite another person
into it?