Power of Routine

As I continuously revisit memories from my past, I see many strange experiences, some almost seem from another world, another life time. Sometimes the difficulty of an experience left a deep, lasting mark on me, which did not fade with time. However, those experiences served as fascinating catalyst for new encounters in my life.

I, like many of us, go through a life composed of special events and daily routine. Mostly, our strongest memories are formed during those special events, be they good or bad. However, I wish to focus on the daily routine and the long journey of our daily lives. Studying academically for a degree, entering an internship period at a new place or profession, coping at work and training along the year are only a handful of examples from our daily lives. How many of us feel so tired at times, we barely find the will to continue pressing on? How many of us already want to see the end of the pursuit and experience new beginnings? It seems persisting, without constant excitement, is note-worthy and requires great mental strengths.

I believe we should honor the ability to finish processes, persevere in them so we can really make the most of our actions and find more development and enjoyment in them. Sometimes the routine is exactly what's required (no less than the dramatic events) in order to help us develop maturity, understanding and sensitivity to our surroundings. In our daily routine we receive the opportunity to appreciate and see more depths to our surroundings. 

In order to find the new within the old we need to look. There are several steps I can recommend you try on your way to enjoying and developing in your routine. First, a technique used in meditation – arriving at your sacred inner space - a safe, quite place. There you accept yourself as you are, flaws and virtues alike, and that is where your true strength lays. The peace that grows in that place is a powerful one, which enables you to open a path of will power and strength, so you will be able to apply them to your daily life, thoughts and actions.

Second, you should learn how to draw on energy when you are tired, depressed or simply bored during your routine life. What is that energy? In my personal opinion, it is everything. To put it in simple terms, it is a power used to perform action, physical or mental. It can be referred to as conscious & subconscious, physical & astral bodies, in body or spirit. We can pick up on spiritual impressions from our surroundings, develop a consciousness and focus, which will allow us to enjoy and learn during our routine, instead of just going through it. This mental-focus may be developed in training, such as the Chen Taijiquan form, Qi Gong or other Taiji forms.

These sorts of abilities require a bit more than pure logic. They require a little faith and open-mindedness. We need to open our minds and entertain new thoughts. Open our hearts and "hear" through the heart – feel the new options that lie in every process along the way. Routine offers us much more than meets the untrained eye. It can be enjoyable, productive and exciting, enabling us to reach new places and embark on new journeys. We can become excited by the obvious, find depth where we once thought was only shallowness, and rediscover ourselves through the feelings of monotonous routines (with less emphasis on the act itself and more on the feeling while performing the act). The last especially can be learned while performing a monotonous Qi Gong, where the motion remains the same, but our inner feeling changes considerably from practice to practice, and withing the same practice.

In a book I enjoy quoting, Paulo Cohelo's 'Warrior of the Light' it says the warrior knows that at times the battle stops, and in the battlefield's silence he listens to his heartbeats… he learns that the heart is full and that faith excites the soul. He knows that maintenance is no less important than action. 

So, if you feel like you are 'out of breath' and it's becoming harder to carry on. If you are considering to discontinue what you have started, think of the power that routine holds. I believe in the power of routine to improve our lives, give us enjoyment, satisfaction and opportunities to develop and learn.

Benyamini Yaron