You are what you repeat

Laddu Pinto, a businessperson from Kolkata, had a peculiar routine. Every morning, as soon as he woke up, he would walk down to the tea stall near his house. Initially, it was an occasional visit; then it became weekly, and eventually it became part of his daily rhythm. Without realizing it, Laddu had trained himself into this habit of wasting time in a non-productive chat at the tea stall. What started as a small choice had transformed into a compulsive behavior that shaped his morning routine. 

One day, sitting at that stall, he wondered: if such a simple act of repetition could become so natural to him, what about the bigger choices in life? Laddu recalled the days when he learned to play guitar. The repeated efforts in practicing those strokes were painful in the beginning, but the music that came out was melodious at the end.

Repetition, as Laddu discovered, was one of the most silent yet powerful forces in human behavior. Even a lot of psychological research supports this truth. A 2009 study by Phillippa Lally and her team at University College London found that, on average, it takes about 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. The more often you repeat something, the deeper it roots into your identity. Just like compound interest makes wealth grow quietly, repetition compounds behavior until it becomes part of who you are.

The challenge is that repetition is neutral. It multiplies both progress and problems. When Laddu kept showing up at the tea stall, he was rehearsing comfort and convenience. Likewise, when he practised guitar daily, the exact mechanism worked in his favor. Over weeks and months, his fingers learned the strings effortlessly. What you do often is what you become skilled at, whether it is procrastination or persistence, doubt or discipline.

This is where small actions hold enormous weight. One skipped workout won’t make anyone unfit, but skipping often enough sets a pattern that eventually defines health. One careless expense won’t cause bankruptcy, but repeat it enough and the habit silently erodes financial stability. The same concept is true for good habits. Ten minutes of reading daily may seem insignificant, but when repeated consistently over the years, it builds knowledge that no single lecture can match! Think about it, your direction, not intensity, determines the outcome.

Laddu realized he didn’t need to overhaul his life in one grand moment. Instead, he began making small, intentional swaps. He consciously decided to replace his morning gossip at the tea stall with a short walk. He swapped late-night television with a few minutes of meditation, something he always longed for. Slowly, this new pattern of repetitions began to stack in his favor. Without needing constant motivation, he started to feel healthier, more creative, and more mindful. These small, yet transformative changes, didn’t shout for attention, but they whispered into his future.

The truth is, our lives are not defined by what we occasionally do, but by what we practice most consistently. Habits shape identity. Actions repeated enough times stop being things we do and start becoming who we are. The vital question to ask is this: If I keep repeating what I am doing today, do I like where it will take me tomorrow?

So the next time you find yourself dismissing a small action and breaking a habit, remember the story of Laddu Pinto. Small steps may look ordinary in the moment, but over time, they create extraordinary outcomes. Choose your repetitions wisely, because your future is being rehearsed in the present. Every repetition is a vote for the person you are becoming. Cast those votes in the direction of the life you truly want.

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