Never Stop Growing: How to Transform Your Life Through the Power of Repetition

As we age, we often fall into the trap of thinking "I know enough now." We've read plenty of books, gained experience, and feel we can coast on that knowledge. But this fixed mindset is actually the main culprit behind much of our life's suffering.

Breaking Free from the Fixed Mindset Trap

Listening to Dr. Lee Song-won's insights makes it clear that we should never stop updating ourselves, regardless of age. If we rely solely on the information we've accumulated so far, growth stops and fixed thinking sets in.

The key is to continuously acquire and apply new information while enhancing our plasticity. In neuroscience, plasticity refers to the brain's ability to change its structure and function through new experiences and learning. To maintain this plasticity as we age, we need constant stimulation and challenges.

The Power of Designed Repetition to Transform Life

Life is essentially made up of loops. The thoughts, actions, and speech patterns we repeat daily govern our lives. The problem is that these unconscious repetitions solidify our current state of being.

Starting new repetitions requires tremendous energy. Continuously doing something unfamiliar is no easy task. So what's the solution?

The answer is surprisingly simple: give new meaning to existing repetitions. Rather than starting something completely new, it's much more effective to add purpose and meaning to what we're already doing.

A Real-Life Example: College Entrance Exam Preparation

Dr. Lee's college entrance exam preparation is a perfect example of designed repetition. After military service, from May to November—180 days—he chose to take a mock exam every single day to achieve his goal of entering Hanyang University.

He obtained 180 practice tests and solved them daily under actual exam conditions. After each test, he graded it, analyzed the causes of wrong answers, and restudied the relevant chapters. After repeating this process for 180 days, taking exams became second nature.

When it came time for the actual college entrance exam, he wasn't afraid—he was actually excited. It was just doing what he'd been doing every day, one more time. This is the power of designed repetition.

Creating Structure to Overcome Boredom

When you keep repeating something, it eventually flows naturally, like a groove worn into a record. This is when many people think "this is enough" and want to settle. But we shouldn't stop here.

Why must we keep moving forward? If we keep repeating the same thing in the same place, we eventually lose the feeling of being alive. We need trials, hardships, and challenges to draw up our life force to overcome them.

Plants that grow without trials and hardships are actually weak. Similarly, the challenges we face make us more vital beings. Therefore, when we feel things are going well, settling into that comfort actually weakens our vitality.

Insights from Medical Practice

Dr. Lee's medical practice experience offers another interesting case study. After 10 or 20 years of repetitive practice, you can do it with your eyes closed, and patients' patterns seem standardized. Many medical professionals experience burnout at this point, unable to find meaning.

But he took a different approach. He decided to become more curious about his patients' lives. Listening to what really happened in their lives to cause such psychological and physical pain became fascinating to him.

Through this process, he discovered that the patterns occurring in people's lives were repetitive, and realized these same patterns were happening in his own life. This is the concept of loops.

Practical Loop Design Methods

So how do we actually design loops? Dr. Lee suggests the following approach:

1. Base It on Movement

Thinking alone has limitations for creating change. You need concrete actions like climbing stairs or daily exercise. It's important to repeat in the same place, at the same time, with the same pattern without major changes.

Initially, changing location or time easily breaks the loop. Because it's unfamiliar, you might hit the brakes or feel reluctant. Don't blame yourself for this—accept it as a natural phenomenon.

2. You Must Read Books

To create changes in thinking, you must read books. But don't feel pressured by thick books. Reading just one page, one paragraph, or even one sentence daily is enough.

What's important is taking notes on that sentence and applying its meaning to your life. The purpose of reading isn't to accumulate knowledge but to change how we think.

The Process of Creating Meaning

A sentence doesn't inherently have meaning from the start. You create meaning by pondering and repeating it, discovering its significance in your own life. This is the awesome power of repetition.

When you reread your noted sentences and ask yourself "What does this mean to me?", related experiences are recalled from memory and new insights emerge. By writing down these thoughts and reading them again, you can reach deeper understanding through repetition.

Mindset for Continuous Growth

It's important not to lose curiosity as we age. The moment we think "I know enough now," our growth stops. Instead, we must maintain a mindset of continuous curiosity and interest.

When something is difficult, just repeat it. It's a simple principle but surprisingly effective. We shouldn't underestimate the transformative power of repetition.

Conclusion: Creating a New Life Through Repetition

In conclusion, we need designed repetition to create the life we want. It doesn't need to be complex—simpler is actually better. What's important is embedding elements that keep the repetition interesting and engaging rather than boring.

By continuing repetition that moves our body through exercise and deepens our thinking through books, we can become completely different from before. Everything becomes possible—health, relationships, even economic success.

Age cannot be an excuse. Don't settle for the knowledge and experience you've accumulated so far—keep updating yourself. If you maintain curiosity and keep finding things interesting and fascinating, an exciting life will continue to await you.