The Dangers and Opportunities of Repetition

As our careers and lives develop, there is sometimes a sense of deja-vu. Repetition often rhymes.

We tend to be drawn to specific situations and certain types of people. Often we find ourselves faced with similar decisions. We all know the maxim of never making the same mistake twice, but given our propensity to stick to our groove, it is likely that we will repeat the same behaviours, even if they weren’t successful the first time.

Ideally, we should constantly be testing our sense of judgement. “I think this is the way that it will turn out, but let’s take it a bit further to see if I am right.” If we look at any given situation objectively and dispassionately, then there is every chance that we will get the desired outcome. The problems arise when we ignore too many red flags from the past and blindly hope for a different future. This type of repetition is asking for trouble.

When we look back at the past, it is easy to persuade ourselves that the circumstances were different and that it isn’t relevant to the present. I can confidently say that we certainly don’t change so much over the years, and much of human behaviour is so universal that the reactions to our behaviours won’t change much either.

Repetition risks

The dangers of not changing unsuccessful behaviour are clear.

On the other hand, when we enjoy success, there is no reason why we wouldn’t want to build on that success in the future. Not tinkering with a winning formula has worked for some of the most successful people on this planet, and if you hit on a small aspect of your life that works, why would you do anything differently? There is a school of thought to say that you should always be challenging yourself to change, but life is so tough that I think it is beneficial to allow yourself these calm oases of “I’m in a good place here.”

So many people in the world struggle with issues of confidence (inwardly and outwardly), and repetition of certain successful habits helps gives us that foundation to go out and experiment with the other areas in our lives that aren’t going so well. To provide a basic example, there are so many great parents whose enjoyment of their children gives them the emotional stability to deal with a horrible job…. In the tempest of life, there is nothing wrong with a bit of repetitiveness (bedtime stories, games, etc) if that is what works for you.

If you find something that moves your soul, hang onto it, whatever you do.

As with everything, there has to be a balance. If you are repetitive in every aspect of your life, you will stagnate, but if you keep the good stuff and work on the bad stuff, you won’t help but feel like life is worth living.

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists. 

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).