Pattern Interrupt

I want to share something that often comes in handy for me. 6 years ago, I was performing on Broadway and living in NYC. I was enjoying the life I'd worked so hard for, but I was feeling a bit stuck. I was on a stroll with someone, sharing my current situation, and they said, "Sounds like you need a pattern interrupt."

I'd never heard it before, but it sounded intriguing. My job was to do the exact same thing on stage-move by move, line by line, note by note-8 times a week. Plus, as steady as life was, it was getting pretty stagnant. He explained to me that sometimes the most productive thing we can do is interrupt the pattern. Sometimes in small ways, sometimes big.

My pattern interrupt ended up being quitting my job, giving up my home, and going to live in the wilderness. Big, glorious interrupt. It's what was needed at the time. Pattern interrupts won't always be that drastic, but they're always grand.

The every-repeating known is the most dangerous place we can be. In a world where the only constant is progressive change, by attempting to stay the same we're inviting enforced change through destruction.

If you're feeling a little stagnant, go ahead and give yourself a little pattern interrupt:

-Take a different route to work.

-Sit in a different spot to meditate.

-Go on a walk and don't have a destination. See where it takes you.

-Call up a friend you haven't talked to in ages.

These are a few examples of little pattern interrupts. They may seem small, but they're a great way to wash away stagnation and infuse a bit of newness into our lives.

Be open to interrupting your pattern at least once a day and life brightens.