“Hey Kovid, how are you?” “I got caught up in the loop man”
“Oh, that really sucks” “Yeah, it’s amazing”
“What?” “What?”
Okay, this a conversation that you will probably never have. Not just due to the fact that your name isn’t Kovid, but also because you probably won’t advocate for being stuck in a loop. “Loops” are given a very bad rep nowadays. Don’t go down the rabbit hole, lest you get stuck in the endless cycle of unproductivity and mental unrest. Good point, but why do we see only one side of this coin?
Virtuous cycles are self-reinforcing feedback loops, that yield positive results. Just like vicious cycles, virtuous cycles have the potential to greatly change the quality of your life. Unlike their evil cousins, however, virtuous cycles do not enjoy prime real estate space on Instagram stories. Thus, despite their life-changing capabilities, virtuous cycles remain a less spoken about topic.
So let’s talk about it!
Here’s a classic, what if you were to exercise occasionally?
In a few days, you will discover that whenever you exercise, you get much better sleep. This leads to newfound energy in the morning and thus increases the likelihood that you will exercise again the following day. Soon, therefore, you will start exercising regularly and getting really good sleep every day.
This soon becomes second nature, so maybe you won’t be able to explain all the newfound energy that you now have. You will then start finishing projects before all your peers and get a lot of extra time each day. You can then invest that time in socializing, learning a new skill, starting a new project, or just chilling on the couch. If you were to opt for any of the options save last, you will then start receiving a host of new rewards which will then subsequently also become second nature.
Looking back from the terrace of your million dollar penthouse, the finest wine in hand, you will one day realise that all you really had to do, was go lift some weights.
Okay, I might have dramatized this a teensy bit, but you will never know if you don’t try, so maybe hop to the gym?
Personal development is also not the only field where virtuous cycles come into play. In fact, here’s Netflix super-simplified-
So go out there and take the first step! I know it’s easier said than done, but once you create the first positive system, it’s all autopilot. (: