A Vicious Cycle

We've all heard of the term, and perhaps some of us have even experienced what it's like to be caught in one.  Take for instance someone who eats junk food because he's feeling depressed about something.  That can lead to weight gain, which can lead to feelings of depression, again causing poor eating choices, leading back to more weight gain.  It's a horrible place to be, and it's never easy to break through this type of behavioral loop.

In general, I tend to believe in the duality of life, and just as a coin has two sides, perhaps the vicious cycle can be both negative and positive.  And if so, maybe tapping into positive cycles can be viciously effective.  Take for example my love of long distance running.  It is truly one of the greatest pleasures in my life.  My love of running distance motivates me to actually go out and run.  Running forces the body to adapt, which enables me to run further.  So enjoying running leads to running which leads to the ability to run more, which brings me even more joy, which makes me want to run more which allows me to run more and so on and so on.

Is this a simplistic way to look at it? Perhaps, but the idea is not without its merit.  However, there is another principle at work in my example that warrants exploration of its own; the idea of enjoying the "in and of itself" of something.  That'll have to wait until another day though.