🔵 HAYBS | Pattern Series, 8

In the previous email, I explained two fundamental approaches to breaking patterns. If you completed your next step, you now have a journal entry about how you would apply these approaches to breaking a specific pattern in your life.

In this email, we explore why you would want to break old patterns.

Which Patterns to Break

Remember: Everything is Pattern!

Some patterns are beneficial and have been with you for a long time. They are still serving your wellbeing. Such patterns might be: punctuality, good work ethic, or optimism.

On the other side of that, some harmful patterns which you would probably want to break might be: tardiness, disregard for work, or pessimism. These are far milder patterns than some examples I am sure you can think of.

And then in the middle of these we can find patterns which are more neutral. They do no noticeable harm, nor do they benefit you in a noticeable way. Such patterns might be: putting on your pants right-leg-first, drinking the same brand of coffee daily, or the way you greet the checkout clerk at the grocery store.

All of these are patterns, and, if you choose, any of them can be changed.

Why to Break Old Patterns

You learned in the previous email that creating any new pattern in your life is effective as an indirect approach to changing a specific pattern in your life. Another way to use the indirect approach is by changing an existing neutral pattern. This is the primary functional purpose of changing any old pattern.

When it comes to harmful patterns, the reason to change them is obvious: they are harmful to you and potentially others in your life. Better to change them. This is our second reason why.

And our third reason is a bit more fun: to make pattern breaking a part of who you are.

I can tell you from more than fourteen years of experience that becoming a "Pattern Breaker" is quite an adventurous endeavor. The nature of the brain and nervous system is to create patterns (unconscious habits), and this serves us well in daily, mundane life.

However... You are probably reading this right now because your daily, mundane life is lacking something. Could it be the energy of adventure or novelty? Could it be a new sense of livelihood and vitality?

To summarize, here are the top three reasons to break old patterns:

1. Harmful patterns should be broken to promote wellbeing.

2. Any pattern can be changed as an indirect approach to changing a specific (harmful) pattern.

3. Becoming a Pattern Breaker is an adventurous path out of mundane life which leads to novelty and vitality.

Your Next Step

1. Continue your daily end-of-day journaling practice.

2. Set a timer for 20 minutes.

3. On 3 or more separate pages in your journal, list all the patterns in your life that you can think of in these 3 categories:

   • Beneficial

   • Harmful

   • Neutral

4. Choose 1 neutral pattern to break.

In the next email, we will begin breaking that neutral pattern, and embark on your journey to becoming a Pattern Breaker!

Your Hypnotherapist,
Devin Ryback

As always, I am available if you would like more guidance.

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