THE GENTLE RHYTHM OF GROWTH by Paul Rogers

Release The Genie Fact:  The Genie Knows why Tommy and Gina are halfway there. (Living on a Prayer - Bob Jovi)
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Repetition is the heartbeat of life. An inaudible rhythm of eb and flow. It is stable and how we measure our lives. If we are fortunate, we get to see a great number of these cycles during our lifetime. We practice things over and over; walking, speaking, loving, forgiving, until they become part of who we are. Even when we feel stuck, repetition is doing its quiet work beneath the surface.

Think of a small seed.  It doesn’t bloom overnight. It takes water, sunlight, time and yes, repetition. A little nourishment each day. The same simple actions, again and again. And then one day, almost without notice, something shifts. A green shoot. A beginning. A small renewal, born from steady care.

We are often impatient and want to see big changes in the form of sweeping moments of clarity and breakthroughs. But more often, these moments come in the slow turning of repetition. In showing up, again and again, even when it’s hard. In choosing kindness, patience or hope, just one more time. Renewal isn’t always about starting over; it’s about coming alive like the small seed. In the same place, but with new eyes and perspectives.

Renewal is a shift in mindset, a healing of the heart, a return to joy. It’s not always dramatic. It can be subtle, quiet, almost imperceptible. Renewal is not erasing the past; it’s building something new on its foundation.

Renewal often comes through repetition. A person might repeat a daily walk and suddenly realize they feel lighter, more present. A writer may show up to the same blank page every morning until one day, a new idea takes flight. A relationship may go through the same conversations, the same struggles, until one day, there’s understanding. There is no specified time limit for renewal to happen.

In a very noisy world driven by the hunger of bigger and better, it takes the spaces between words, those silences, to appreciate the often underestimated power of small, repeated actions. It is the small things which actually are the big things. A quiet morning routine. A gratitude journal. A moment of mindfulness. A single kind word spoken every day. These aren’t grand gestures, but they accumulate and invite renewal.

Repetition gives us structure, and within that structure, we find space to grow. As a high school rugby coach, I use and run many drills to improve technique. This is done to build muscle memory, so when the time comes for action, the body already knows what to do and does not hesitate. In this case, repetition is deliberate and developmental. I constantly challenge our senior players to find some new nuances to the drill, which they can benefit from.

Similarly with our own lives. When we commit to a process or a practice, we often find that we aren’t just repeating; we’re evolving and renewing.

One of the most uplifting truths is that you can come back to the same place and be a different person. You can walk the same path, have the same conversation, do the same thing but from a place of growth, wisdom, or healing.  You can read a book or listen to a song many times and suddenly find something new.

That’s the magic of the overlap between renewal and repetition. It tells us that we don’t have to constantly reinvent ourselves or escape our lives to find new meaning. Sometimes, what we need is already here. Sometimes, showing up again is the transformation.

Nature teaches us this truth. Trees lose their leaves each fall and grow them back in spring. Tides come in and go out. Birds migrate and return. And in these repeating patterns, there’s always renewal. Not one season is exactly the same. Not one sunrise is identical to the last.

We spend so much time resisting the flow of life. But if we just stop for a moment and allow ourselves to go with the flow, we will find new places we never even knew existed.

If your life feels repetitive, take heart. That repetition may be quietly preparing you for something new. And if you’re feeling the spark of renewal, nurture it with daily care, with small steps.

Repetition isn’t the opposite of change; it’s the doorway to it. Renewal isn’t a complete restart, it’s a reawakening from within.
Be encouraged that you don’t have to start over to begin again. Sometimes, beginning again is simply returning to the same place with more light, more love, and a little more of your true self. ​∎