Does History Repeat Itself?

You've heard it a million times, but when you examine it, it doesn't hold water. Find out what really repeats itself in this mini podcast.

Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

Does History Repeat Itself?

When you stop and think about it, history is really just a record — a collection of past events. It doesn’t actually live or breathe; it only comes to life when we project ourselves onto it.

So, does history really repeat itself? Not exactly. But the patterns of human nature do. And that’s what causes the same kinds of events to show up again and again.

It reminds me of some personal history . . . Back in 2011, our area got hit by a hurricane that knocked out power for days. Everything stopped. No lights, no TV, no computers — just candles, cards, and conversation. I even found myself playing “500 Rummy” — something I hadn’t done in years, and by candlelight no less. We went to bed earlier, read by flashlight, and just . . . slowed down.

Then, two days later, the power came back on. And, “poof” just like that — we went right back to “normal.”

That got me wondering: How many times do we go through something tough, say we’ve learned from it, and then slip right back into the same old routines?

If we go right back to the way things were, did we really learn anything?

Logic tells us we should take a good look at what got us there — make a plan, take precautions, prepare better next time. But logic doesn’t run our lives. Our routines do.

Most of us return to the familiar — and those painful lessons become less like teachers and more like ghosts of our future.

Just like the power had to go out before we changed our behavior, sometimes we have to interrupt our own routines to find a better way forward.

Interruption — that’s the key. It's the spark that leads to change. But here’s the catch: one interruption, just like one hurricane, won’t do it. Change only sticks when we interrupt those old habits again and again and again.

That resolve delivers the glow of spit-shined boots you see in the military. See, in boot camp, you're issued boots with dull, porous leather. Your job is to get the toe to shine like patent leather. It requires a process of filling the holes in the leather with polish and then dipping your polishing cloth in water and rubbing in circles where you just placed the polish. Then you repeat the process again and again and again – more polish, more water. You keep rubbing in circles and it seems like the shoe will never shine, until that one moment when you see a portion of the toe begin to look like black glass. Yay you, Yahoo!

That’s what happens when you keep interrupting the history of old behavior. It may feel like you’re going in circles, but eventually the light breaks through — and there’s no going back to “normal.”

All the best,

John