Repetition = dull and boring? Sometimes…


credit: procsilas

 
Yesterday I read a post about zen habits, where the reader suggested the content was becoming a little dull and repetitive. This sentiment was shared by many of the commenters, and it was suggested that the tone of the posts were becoming a little preachy, or tended to have a ‘look at me and all I’ve achieved’ kind of feel.

I haven’t really found this personally with zen habits, most of the posts I’ve read have been great, and Leo has achieved great success from a web site he built from scratch. However, I can also sort of understand where some of the people were coming from. It’s one thing to aspire for great things to happen in our lives, it’s another thing to be a ’self-help junkie’ who reads the same material over and over without taking any action.

Having sat on this fence before, I’d like to say all things in moderation. I think if you are waking up every day and reading the same type of posts over and over without implementing any of the suggested changes in your own life, I can see how the messages would become a little dull.

For those of us that are interested in taking charge of our lives and making every day count, coming across duplicate content is a regular occurrence. For example, how many times have you read about treating other people with respect, getting our attitudes right and never giving up? I would venture to say many many times before in some form or other! I’ve even fuelled this trend of repetition by posting my own thoughts on these same topics. Personally, It doesn’t really bother me when I read or revisit the same material (within reason) as evidenced by my recent series titled “So You’ve Heard It All Before”, as long as I believe in the message. Preferably it is also written in a new or fresh way, or from someone else’s perspective or personal experiences. Repetition helps instill patterns in our memory banks, but again – all things in moderation.

Sometimes it’s good to take a break from reading self help posts and live life a little. Case in point was my camping holiday last week – whilst I really love blogging and reading posts, it was uber-refreshing to have no internet access for several days! Might I suggest that zen habits and the style of posting probably isn’t the problem. There are always great tips and suggestions to be found, but they’re simply not always going to be timely and relevant for each of us all the time.


credit: *Zara

 
Maybe it’s better to try skimming posts from many different sites in a feed reader, and taking note of the ones that strike a chord with you. For myself I’ve found that sometimes I can relate to what’s on offer, and other times not. If you can take something away and give it a go in your own life, great! If not, no harm done.

What’s more important is concentrating on your own goals and challenges and making sure you are taking some kind of action in your life to get where you want to go, rather than just reading about how other people do it.