#PositiveVibes - Same Old, Same Old

By John R. Nocero & Nicole M. Palmer

 The VIBE: There is beauty in the routine

John: Remember the movie Groundhog Day? It came out in 1993, when I was graduating high school. It starred Bill Murray as Phil Connors, a TV weatherman who during an assignment covering the annual Groundhog Day event, is caught in a time loop, repeatedly reliving the same day over and over and over again. Now the term ‘groundhog day” is used to describe a recurring situation in government and military arenas. Does your life ever feel like the movie Groundhog Day? You seemingly repeat the same old loop over and over again: wake up, commute, work, commute, home, bed. Rinse and repeat. It can feel a little depressing, a little desperation-producing. It can seem like inhabiting a certain kind of hell. I will admit that I have gotten used to change, and I am start to like it very much. There is something about breaking the monotony that helps me engage and stay creative, feeling that I am very much in my state of flow. But there is also a state of familiarity that I enjoy too. I don’t necessary want my life to be a non-broken stretch of everything is the same, but I can appreciate the same things, especially when I put processes around them. I don’t want every one of my days to be non-stop chaos, where I had to continually learn new tasks, figure out new routines, and establish new relationships. Remember 50 First Dates? The film itself was a bit silly, but imagine how difficult Lucy’s life was – she had to relearn everything every day. For me that would be an absolute nightmare. A lot of what is the “same” is helpful – it helps us carry out our lives efficiently and effectively, while really building something of significance. It helps us build meaningful relationships as well as gain mastery in our careers. What do you think, Nicole? Do you feel the horror of same old, same old, or can you be happy with some similar repetition if you build some rhythm into it?

Nicole: John, I think that we are creatures by habit. Some people love routines. I have a co-worker who has been eating a banana and strawberry yogurt everyday for lunch for the past 15 years. He loves it. He walks to the local supermarket at 11:30AM to purchase his lunch every day, regardless if it’s 110 degrees or -30. Some people may view the routine as depressing or mundane and others love the habitual routine. For me, I am situational. In my 20’s I loved change. I loathed routines. Now in my 30’s I am finding myself to be more and more routine oriented. As I write this, it reminds that I am getting older and settling into my routines. 10 years ago, I never would have believed that if someone told me who I was going to become in my 30’s. I would have said, yeah rightttt, you’re funny! Since I’ve become a mother, my son has taught me how important routines are for babies and what happens when you break the routine. I am very strict with routines when it comes to raising him. When you break the cycle, it’s never a positive result and you pay for it, for a couple of days. Lesson learned: Not all routines are bad.

#dreamteam

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