Before you read the title and go all haywire with breaking all the routines you have, let me make one thing extremely clear. Routines are a very important part of our daily lives. A routine keeps us going even during tough times and keeps some discipline in our life even after we have given up on everything. But, if not managed properly, routines have the power to capture us in a cage of monotony and make us forget what we are really here to do!
One of the greatest parts about having a routine is being able to break it.
Being caught in an unhealthy pattern will kill you slowly from inside, and you won’t realise when. It is like committing suicide in parts. And before you reach your melting point, it’s very necessary to recognise and break the pattern, because there’s nothing more dangerous than being caught in it. Because if you do not get out of it now; 10 years from now, you will look back at your life not being able to differentiate one day from another.
Nobody can hand you ‘self-awareness’ on a platter, but here’s my attempt to help you and myself get out of it using some of these points.
1. Hold a conversation with a new person every day and expand your world beyond people you know
If you look at the number of people you talk to daily, you will see how limited your idea of the world is. One of the starting steps of getting stuck in one routine is meeting and talking to the same people every day. Yes, a certain level of exchange and interaction will always help you, but you have limited yourself to a certain group and there’s only so much a human brain can extract out of that.
Talk to people of different professions, cultures, countries (social media has made things much easier) etc. Having a chat with the housekeeping staff member of your building or your auto driver will give you an outlook to a different kind of life and its experience. Think about the conversation, and open your brain to some empathy.
2. Do one new thing every day, so that the whole week doesn’t get lost in a haze
I know it sounds super cliché but you don’t realise the amount of invigoration it can bring in the daily routine. Think about the last week. Can you remember what you did on Tuesday which was different from Wednesday? You can start with simple things like doing your hair differently, carrying a different water bottle, taking a different route to work, walking to that nearby park you never visit or trying that expensive pastry you always think about but never eat.
Start small, and then head over to bigger steps. One day, you will gather the courage to break that strong pattern and go for what you love doing.
3. Learn how to spend time alone without social media, phone, music or any other distraction. Learn to be comfortable in your own company.
You are looking for joy, courage, and inspiration from all around the world when everything is inside you. All you need to do is spend some time with your thoughts. Control them. Try to declutter and rise above them. Getting caught up in the routine, you become so disconnected to yourself that you don’t get to see the kind of person you are becoming. Introspection and meditation are two very different, and yet equally important things. And I know it is going to sound super dramatic, but once you make that connection to yourself, the amount of courage and transformation it can bring is inexplicable.
4. It’s high time you start spending your free time doing things other than watching TV series, films, Netflix etc.
Watching a film or TV show for entertainment is one thing, and watching something for escapism is another. If that is the only way you can spend your long weekends and free time, then you are getting caught in another routine altogether. No one is stopping you from watching. It’s an amazing form of recreation and learning. But have a life beyond that. Have something to do apart from that. Don’t become one of those people who get crazy if their Wifi goes off.
5. You will have to start jotting down your thoughts so that you don’t forget what passion feels like… because people do
I have had moments where I have felt immensely courageous or overwhelmed with the number of things I am able to realise, and I am pretty sure you have had moments like these too. But then, the day passes and that passion starts fading away. With that, you go back to your routine because the same old surrounding brings you down and you think remembering all that stuff is too much work.
Don’t let that happen, because those moments of epiphany are the moments which will take you further in life and get you out of the rut you are stuck in. Write it down on your phone, in a diary or wherever. If this sounds like too much work to you, then you can’t expect brilliant results without putting any effort in getting on the top.
6. If you think your current routine and pattern is too strong to break, start with small goals which will start breaking the branch, if not the root
If your daily routine is too rigid, pick the least important activity in the day which you want to get out of, and start right there. Give yourself a deadline. “Just do this for 7 more days.” When there’s a countdown going in the head, it gives you more endurance and perseverance to continue. After you accomplish your first goal, then more towards a slightly bigger one. But keep reminding yourself of the leap you have to take at the end. These tasks will give you the courage to do so.
7. Break the pattern not only in the terms of your profession, but your personal life as well. If you are attracting a certain kind of unpleasant people, then something has to be changed.
A happy soul will attract happiness. A perplexed soul will attract perplexion. An insecure soul will attract insecurity. And, a dishonest soul will never attract loyalty. If there is a bad pattern of people you surround yourself with, then that is the most important one to break. But, this one is a little hard to crack, because this needs you to make transformations within yourself.
The best I could suggest is to introspect. See what are you doing wrong. What is keeping you bogged down? Because the reasons are all inside you. Your goal should be to become a joyful, secure, confident and humble person who exudes positivity in the environment. No one should have control over your happiness. Not your roommate. Not your friends. Not your boss. Not your girlfriend/boyfriend. Not even your parents. Your absolute happiness should be totally dependent on you. And once you reach there, there’s no way there will be any negativity even touching you.
It’s a hard thing to implement that because even I am struggling with it. But, we have to start somewhere.
8. Don’t hesitate to discuss or seek help
If you are confused about anything, don’t hesitate in seeking guidance. Talk to someone. Your parents. Mentors. Teachers. Friends. Anyone. Sometimes, you end up with solutions to a lot of your problems while telling it to someone. And you never know, someone else might be suffering from the same problem and you might end up helping each other.
9. Most importantly, TAKE ACTION!
All the meditation and inner transformation is not going to help until you get up and implement it. These practices can only show you the right path. It’s your duty to walk on it. Don’t shy away from working hard and giving your 100%. Whatever you choose to do, give it all your heart. Have a very pure and strong desire and couple it with dedicated implementation.
Joy. Ecstasy. Success.
Nothing will be far from you.
Quoting a famous sentence from one of my favourite movies I would say, ‘What’ and ‘If’ are two simple words which are as harmless as they can be. But put them together, and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life. ‘What if?’
Don’t give yourself a chance to regret. Get up. Break the pattern.