My friend and I, in the peak of senioritis in the latter half of Grade 12, used to throw around this quote by Paulo Coelho a lot: “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine – it’s lethal.” We would toss it out there when we talked about the adventures that we wanted to go on and all the trips we wanted to take – snorkelling in Australia, backpacking in Iceland and Europe. We tossed it around when we talked about the limiting factors of living in the suburbs and the boredom that we often felt from unchanging days in high school. It was something in the back of our minds as we looked ahead to the possibility of all things happening in university. She even ended up making it her yearbook quote.
The reason for this anecdote is to show that at one point in both of our lives, we despised routine. We thought each day in school – with the same class times and the same bell ringing at 8:19 am and then later 2:30 pm – was slowly killing us, as we realized that so much of our lives had been dictated by routine and normalcy. Our lives lacked novelty, the kind of novelty you would get if you picked up all your stuff and suddenly moved to the other side of the world where you didn’t speak the native tongue and where you knew nobody in a sea of faces. Now looking back, wanting that at that age was such a stretch, but in the moment, we truly did. Maybe not that exact adventure per se, but certainly that feeling of excitement and “wow.”
However, now about two-three years later, while I still don’t appreciate a life just measured out by coffee spoons and the same, repetitive, activities, I’ve changed my perspective in one way: I like having habits and parts of a daily routine to fall back on in my life. They ground me, they’re a source of stability I lean on especially now when life is constantly changing each and every day.
I view habits as critical to have. Especially in the life stage we’re in right now, so much is unpredictable. New relationships. New friendships. New courses. New events. New living places. The only constant thing right now is change, which is why I find habits almost comforting. Day to day is always different – no routine in the world could prevent any change from happening – but you can try to still carry over certain habits and keep those the same.
For example, I genuinely see yoga as a habit that has become such a cornerstone in my life. Even after moving to Kingston in my first year, I still made a point to keep up with the habit of it. And it’s never left me since. Why? Because it grounds me. Because even in the midst of all this perpetual change, I can still fall back on this one thing that I love doing, even if it’s with different people at a different studio in a different city. The habit, which I can’t see myself losing after all these years of classes, is still the same.
Other habits that I try to stick to include reading for 10 minutes every day (you’d be surprised at how effective this can be over time), reading some form of the news every day (so I’m not just stuck in this Kingston bubble where I have no idea what’s happening in the world), and trying to wake up early every day. Everybody has different habits; it all depends on what gives you comfort when you feel as if the world is spinning. For Nike founder Phil Knight, it used to be (and probably still is) lacing up his shoes at the break of dawn to go for a run. Some people rely on meditating every day, for others they just make a point of grabbing coffee with the same friend once every week to catch up.
I think habits are commonly associated with the drudgery of routine. “I’m doing the same thing.” And that’s why those who crave adventure or novelty aren’t a fan of having habits. And to be honest? To each their own. Wanting a solid list of strong habits isn’t for everybody, but I’ve realized that it is for me. Forming a good habit isn’t always easy – it requires dragging yourself out of bed while the whole world is asleep so you can run, or resisting temptations or distractions. But once you get it, it’s there to stay, especially if it’s a habit that you like doing.
Don’t get me wrong, I still crave adventure and excitement and times where everything is unpredictable. This is so important in life, especially when you’re younger.
But I think to always be in the midst of change with nothing to stabilize yourself with is unsustainable in the long run, at least for me. And this is why my habits ground me.