“I believe I can see the future
Because I repeat the same routine…”
Every Day Is Exactly The Same, Nine Inch Nails

I recently watched the movie Wanted, and thought it was a really good movie.  Not because of Angelina Jolie, or because there were action packed sequences preceded an awesome training montages, but rather because I could relate to the main character: Wesley Gibson.  Wesley works a dead-end job with a terrible boss, cheating girlfriend and no prospects in life.  Before you get ahead of yourself, I’m not in any of these situations.  But one idea struck a chord with me: repetition.  One of the reasons why his life was going nowhere was because he repeated the same boring job everyday, reacting in the same unproductive ways, and thinking the same useless thoughts hoping and wishing that something would come along and change his life.  Fortunately for him (and the plot of the movie), he had a life changing experience that took him on a wild ride he could never have predicted.  For the rest of us, we should only be so lucky.

Most people’s lives aren’t as terrible as Wesley Gibson’s, in fact they’re far from it; they’re actually qute comfortable.  And that’s the trap.  Because it’s so comfortable, we get stuck doing the same thing day in and day out, just like Wesley Gibson.  Except unlike the movie, we usually aren’t born with innate superhuman abilities and get recruited into a fraternity of assassins.   Instead, we just keep doing the same thing everyday.  Predicting the future isn’t too hard when you repeat the same routine everyday.

Routines are great for some things, but your life shouldn’t feel like one.  Doing different things, having new experiences, and getting excited is what makes life interesting.  For me, I actively try to meet new people and try new things because if I didn’t, I would almost surely just sit at home all day.  Sometimes it’s uncomfortable and sometimes it’s scary, but it’s always very rewarding.  I can’t see the future and it’s a beautiful thing.