Escaping the Rat Wheel: Breaking Free from Repetitive Cycles | 跳脫老鼠滾輪：如何擺脫生命中的重複循環

<English version>

Did you ever have a hamster or pet mouse as a child?
Most of us would place a little rat wheel in the cage so the animal could exercise. Later, some people even created running wheels for cats. Watching them sprint endlessly may look adorable, but it also carries a deeper meaning.

In psychology and spirituality, the “running wheel” often becomes a metaphor. It represents cycles—repetitive patterns that are hard to escape. Why a wheel? Because once inside, your steps never stop, and we’d trace trace the same path again and again. Most importantly, once you start running, it’s nearly impossible to step off with ease.

The Loops We Live In

In life, many of us fall into similar cycles:

• Making the same poor investment decisions.
• Attracting unsuitable or even harmful partners.
• Reacting to emotions in ways that lead to regret.

These recurring situations are not random—they are life’s lessons placed before us.

Habitual Thinking and Behavior Patterns

Like the running wheel, our thoughts and actions form habits.
When we’re inside the cycle, it’s hard to notice, and even harder to stop. Breaking free takes time and practice.

The first step is awareness. Sometimes we are able to spot the patterns without external help, and sometimes we can’t. Either way, the awareness of your repeating pattern(s) is a huge step into transformation.

The next step is willingness. Not everyone is willing to change, and, at times, survival pressures force us to change. But for those who desire lasting transformation, it is important to know that a long-lasting transformation usually comes from a determined commitment into a new routine.

Still, willingness alone is not enough. We also need ability. Ability is probably the easiest to aquire among the three, for it requires only dedicated learning and practice. Though abilities may not come naturally, but proficiency of a chosen ability can be developed over time.:

• Want to lose weight? Build an exercise habit.
• Want to quit smoking? Train patience or use supportive tools.
• Want financial freedom? Learn proper financial literacy.

When awareness, willingness and ability combine—at the right moment—they create the momentum to step off the wheel.

So, When Is the Right Time?

Think of an action movie where someone has to jump out of a moving car. You opened the door [awareness]. You have the desire to jump [willingness]. You have the strength to push yourself out of the door [ability], but timing is everything—jump too early or too late, and the fall may be life-threatening.

Finding the right timing requires observation—watching the cycles of people and events, noticing the causes and effects, summarizing your own repeating patterns, and testing the reliability of your summaries. Once you identify where change can be made, you’ll naturally avoid falling back into the same cycle.

The Courage to Jump

Escaping life’s “rat running wheel” isn’t easy. But with awareness, willingness, ability, and timing, we can make that critical “jump” and finally break free.

✨This model has always get me the transformation I seek. I hope they inspire you to find the courage to step off your own wheel and move toward freedom.

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<Mandarin version>

不曉得大家小時候有沒有養過黃金鼠或是老鼠？
通常我們會在籠子裡面放上一個小小的滾輪，讓牠們運動。後來甚至也有人為貓咪設計滾輪，看著牠們拼命奔跑的樣子，似乎既可愛又有趣。但是在心理學與身心靈的討論中，這個「滾輪」卻常常被拿來作為隱喻。它代表著一種循環、一種不斷重複卻難以跳脫的模式。

為什麼會用「滾輪」來形容呢？因為在這個滾輪裡，腳步似乎從未停歇，卻始終繞著同樣的軌跡。更重要的是，一旦開始奔跑，要「優雅」地從滾輪上跳下來，幾乎是不可能的。

在人生中，我們也常常會落入這樣的循環：

• 一再做出錯誤的投資決定。
• 總是吸引到不合適、甚至傷害自己的對象。
• 或者每當某種情緒湧現，就會做出讓自己後悔的舉動。

這些反覆出現的人事物，其實正是我們的課題。

慣性思維與行為模式

就像滾輪一樣，我們的思維也會形成「慣性」。當我們身處其中，往往很難察覺，更難立即停止。這需要時間與練習。

要如何打破這個循環？

第一步是覺察。有時候是自己留意到，有時候是別人提醒我們，才發現原來自己一直在重複相同的議題。 接下來，需要意願。有時候是生活環境或生存壓力逼著我們不得不改變，但最持久且有效的改變，仍然來自於我們自己的決心。

然而，光有意願還不夠。還需要能力。這個能力或許不是天生具備的，但可以透過學習與培養而來。

想要減肥，就去養成運動習慣。
想要戒菸，就訓練自己的耐心，或善用輔助工具。
想要實現財富自由，就去學習正確的理財知識。

當意願與能力結合，再加上正確的時機，就能產生推動我們跳出滾輪的動力。

那時麼時候才是對的時機呢?

把握時機，勇敢跳出 想像一下動作片裡的「跳車」場景。 車門打開了，心裡也有了想跳的念頭，但還必須等待對的時機，否則可能會摔得更慘。人生中的改變也是如此。

要找到對的時機，是需要花點時間去觀察的–去觀察人事物循環的時機、前因後果、並總結你的循環模式並去驗證它。當你能在驗證中找出能夠改變的人事物，自然也能避開重複循環的模式。

跳出人生的「老鼠滾輪」並不容易，但當我們擁有覺察、意願、能力與時機，就能在恰當的瞬間完成這個關鍵的「跳車動作」。

這是我對於「重複循環」與「慣性思維」的觀察與分享。希望這篇文章能給你一些啟發，讓你有勇氣去找到屬於自己的自由。