I never knew that about myself, I always thought the opposite. I thought I love routine!
I thought routine is in my blood and what I strive for all the time.
In an era of uncertainty at work, you always keep being scared that something will change and you will be out of job. The basic survival instincts I had made me think Routine is good and I should always have it in order to feel secure.
But after 12 years of having the same routine, working, living in Tel Aviv, going out with my friends, being with my family and travel from time to time, I left everything! And bought one way ticket to Australia.
That was the moment I realized, I actually don’t like routine.
I was 32 years old, and I was willing to “risk” everything and to leave.
From: http://www.shityouregosays.com/
I guess we all have different attitude toward routine and life. What I consider risk, is maybe something you will laugh about, or maybe you will associate. The point is I didn’t know that about myself and I considered myself to be a routine minded, stability oriented person.
I always felt I needed structure and order to feel secure in a world of disorder.
I started noticing other moments in my life where I didn’t enjoy routine, I used to stay at a job between 2-3 years, no longer. I used to change apartments a lot. I suddenly traveled for a month to Nepal if I felt I really need a change. I made changes in my life but didn’t pay attention to a pattern.
It doesn’t matter, I am not talking about patterns now, I am talking about routine, and how a person who used to live in a comfort zone can break it from time to time. If he wishes to :)
A lot of people are afraid of being bored. And a lot are afraid that routine will wear them away.
For some the act of going to work every day, walking the same path, at the same hours, and living a different life in the weekend, is considered a routine. For some eating the same food every day can drive them mad because it is routine. For some, celebrating annually in the same restaurant is a routine. Each of us consider it in different ways, It get to disturb us and ‘hit the spot’ in different levels on the scale.
But for all of us there are points where we would like to “break” this routine. Here are some golden advises:
* Input a minor change in your routine. Even small changes can affect your feeling and manage to break the routine. It could be going from a different direction to work, taking public transport if you usually drive a car, or another train if you usually use the same. Change where you eat while at work, and what you eat. Change your exercise, Make small changes in your schedule, perhaps doing chores in a different order than usual. It always help, even in small doses.
* Child’s view is always useful. You know how children see the world with excitement, exploration and wonder? Try to look at things from a different perspective. Try to see the beauty in that grey flaky railway in central station while you’re waiting for commute.
Take pictures from specific angles or zoom that can capture the beauty in what you see. The camera will take what your mind perceive as beauty. You will start noticing more and more. Look at things as if it is the first time you see them, because they are. Every moment is different, and perspective can be changed.
* Which brings us to: Every moment is new! Think about it. Every moment that pass is different than the next, the atoms in our body are moving and changing EVERY moment.
WE are different every moment. When you think about life in this resolution, when you don’t think about the future or the past, you are focused in the moment and you are in the present.
Only when our mind goes wonder about memories from the past, or fears of the future….. That is when we see things as a global picture - there lies routine. It is a thought process. Once we change this thought process and focus on the NOW, we don’t fear the past or future! We are just focused on living this moment to the fullest; and there is no routine in the now.
* Learn. Always learn new things. Our brain has this capability even as we grow old.
Learn new things every day or every week, it doesn’t have to be a master degree in atomic science, it can be whatever interest you :) keep learning new things all the time – your life won’t be boring, your mind and brain abilities will improve, you will be thankful for that. Curiosity maybe killed the cat but it does only good to people; it is fresh, it is growth.
**The pictures above were taken on my lunch-strolls during routine office hours :)
These are very general small tips to make changes in routine in the daily life. There are bigger things you can do, such as leaving your monogamist relationship behind to a future of unknown, go travel around the world with only a bag, learn a new habit like flying airglider, but each and his own pace and needs. As long as your needs are well treated and you don’t hurt others on the way – it is all legit ;). Do what-ever makes you feel good; You will be better for yourself and your surroundings that way.