We’ve covered pattern interrupts previously and, having just returned from extended travel, I feel the need to revisit this concept. My travel definitely interrupted my normal patterns and with it came plenty of benefits. There is an actual and visceral reaction to a pattern interrupt. Feeling refreshed and inspired. Most will agree to this benefit. Now the question becomes: How do you keep that feeling and inspiration going? How do you continue to enjoy the enthusiasm and motivation?
Many times, we return from a pattern interrupt (be it a vacation, workshop, or an event like the Peerage) and within a few days, we’re back to where we were before.
One approach to maintaining the benefit is to share publicly whatever it is you’re feeling or that you want to manifest as a result, much like sharing a goal to make yourself more accountable. One client shared his feelings and intention with his spouse, who’s going to support the effort. Another approach is to build a new (or improved) structure or routine that drives the new behavior to enable the result you want.
However, there is simply value in the pattern interrupt itself. We often leave an event feeling the burden that we have to put ideas into action. Actually, no you don’t. Take a bigger step back and look at it simply as an evolving amount of energy over time. When you stay in the same place, doing the same thing, energy pools there. It may even stagnate. To change a complex system like your thoughts and behaviors, you need a catalyst. So rather than focusing on (or even obsessing about) the changes you want to make as a result of your pattern interrupt, think of the interruption as a catalyst to evolve the complex system that is you. This is really the power of a pattern interrupt.
We created the SEA (Slight Edge Advantage) program along these lines: to create a catalyst for thought every 120 days or so. It’s not about putting pressure on yourself to implement the great ideas you get. It’s about taking a bigger step back to allow evolution to continue by allowing consistent catalysts to occur.
It’s analogous to training and working out. If you simply focus on bench presses and decide that’s all you’re going to do, you’ll develop an unbalanced physique. You may have great upper body strength but no cardiovascular sustainability. It’s always about balance. Take away the focus on implementation and consider that your pattern interrupt will create a probability of new insight. You can never be sure what the source of new input will be. What we do know is that if everything stays the same, the probability for new insight—the catalyst—never happens.
We can all easily fall into ruts, so we need to be mindful of the need for pattern interrupts and then create them. They don’t need to always be extreme, like extended travel, but they should be consistent. Moreover, they should put you back in the mix and enable you to be around others who will inspire you and believe in you. Going back to the SEA program we created: If you participate in this pattern interrupt every 120 days, it’s not about what happens in that timeframe. It’s really about where you’ll be three to five years from now having interrupted your pattern consistently every four months or so.
It always goes back to structure. What structure can you build that allows you to play at an advantage and create pattern interrupts? For example, if your pattern interrupt involves travel, buy the tickets now. High performance requires high maintenance. I know that being “high maintenance” has a bit of a stigma attached to it because it elicits the idea of a drama queen or similar. Put that aside. If you want to be a high performer, you will require high maintenance, quite analogous to high-performance cars. What do you need to do over time that enables high performance? Pattern interrupts should be an integral part of your maintenance. Build the structure to support that maintenance and then surrender to the structure.
Structure always sets you free.
