Nov 22, 2022
This
week I’d like to dig a bit deeper into daily rituals and give you
some ideas and thoughts that might help you to create a winning
formula for success on a daily basis. I hope you will take these
tips and ideas and make them your own. Find a way to spend time
planning out your daily rituals, because you can really level up
with the right plan for your day.
Set Yourself Up for Success
The most important thing you need to realize with
daily rituals is that you must set yourself up for success, or your
rituals will become a source of frustration and disappointment.
We have all had big aspirations when we set a new goal or new
years resolution. We have also experienced disappointment
when we don’t follow through due to circumstances outside our
control due to a lack of motivation or willpower. So, it’s
critically important that you set yourself up “in advance of each
day” to make it easy to follow through on your
rituals.
Alexander Graham Bell Said, “Before
anything else, Preparation is the key to
success.”
You can set yourself up for success by preparing the
night before, scheduling your rituals into your day, and even
making sure the time of day is the most likely time to eliminate
distractions. Also, keep in mind that starting your day with
rituals is preferred in order to get you moving on the right path,
but you should schedule time for your rituals when you are at your
“best” in order to be most effective. Many times you will
have routines and rituals that you do throughout the
day.
I personally begin my day with morning rituals and end
my day with a different set of evening rituals. This helps me
to start my day out right and also end my day by winding down.
When I do this, it allows me to create more energy in the
morning and relax for better sleep in the evening.
Choose the Right Rituals
The next thing you will want to do is choose the
rituals that are best for you. Each of us struggle with
different things in our lives, and I always try to create daily
rituals that will help me to overcome challenges I have, as well as
build up my strengths and motivation in key areas of my life.
You can create daily rituals in all areas of your life,
including but not limited to your Mind, Body, Spirit,
Relationships, Finances, Business, Investing, or Lifestyle.
Create rituals in areas of your life you feel you might need
the most help in or will help benefit you the most. Ultimately I
feel your Daily Rituals should Motivate,
Inspire, or Educate you so that you can Create
a Better Life.
Here are just a few examples of Daily Rituals you
could choose that I have personally benefited from over the
years….
-
Prayer
-
Meditation
-
Affirmations
-
Workouts
-
Reading eBooks
-
Listening to Audiobooks
-
Listening to Podcasts
-
Nutrition & Supplements
-
Family Time
-
Gratitude Practice
-
Journaling
-
Studying or Education
-
Date Night
-
Music
-
Sleep
One more important thing I want to mention. Try
to create a short list of rituals that align with your goals and
objectives in your life. If you need to acquire a new skill
maybe add that to your day. Or, if you are like me and don’t
enjoy getting up in the morning, then an early morning workout is
exactly what you need to get your body moving each
day.
Quality and Consistency over
Quantity
Remember the goal is to create rituals that help you
in your life to stay on track and create healthy habits. It’s
more important to have just a few key rituals that you do
consistently, than to have a big list of rituals that you never
seem to get done. I used to make a list to accomplish a ton
of items each day. I wanted to make sure I crossed off the
boxes in every single area of my life. But, I found that
having a short list of 3-5 rituals in the morning and 3-5 rituals
in the evening is the best for me. I have stayed far more
consistent with a couple of core things to focus on and stay
consistent with.
I like what Tim Ferris says when he says that he has
3-5 rituals on his list, but considers it a “win” if he does just a
few of them. Don’t overwhelm yourself with a long list of
items.
Remember, Consistent Effort is the Key to Success
in Life…
So many people start out trying to do anything and
everything they can do to make change in their lives. But,
they don’t stay consistent. They don’t stay consistent
because they burn out and they don’t find a way to make their goals
and desires a part of their everyday life. You need to create
rituals that are part of your lifestyle and then you will be far
more consistent for the long term.
Make it a Routine
If you make your rituals part of your daily routine,
you will create strong habits that will last a lifetime.
Plus, you will also have a structure to guide you through
your day. Let me give you some examples of what I
mean…
I always workout first in the morning in order to get
the blood flowing and get my mind awake. I’ve tried to study
or meditate first in the morning, but I just think better
(therefore more productive) when I meditate after a workout.
Also, I always find that I can get far more accomplished (in
less time) if I get my blood flowing first and then move on to
other items on my list.
Another example is that I like to journal and read at
night, because it helps me to wind down my mind for better sleep.
Now this doesn’t always work cause my mind almost never shuts
off. But, when I journal at night, I can recognize my
accomplishment or reflect on what I am grateful for and it helps me
to acknowledge that I am moving forward and I can relax more.
So, find ways to place your rituals in your “daily routine”
so that you accomplish more and it also helps guide you through
your day better.
Create Accountability
I want to talk with you about creating more
accountability in your daily rituals for a few different reasons.
First, having some accountability will help you maintain your
consistency until it becomes a habit. Second, having accountability
will help to motivate you when you are not “feeling it”.
Finally, having accountability is a way for you to openly
commit to your rituals rather than keep them to yourself. You
see, many of us don’t want people to know that we are committed to
our goals and dreams of creating success, losing weight, learning a
new skill, because we are afraid of what people will say if we
fail.
Guess what? Who cares what other people think.
Having daily rituals is for YOUR benefit, so find a
way to hold yourself accountable so that you WILL follow
through and you WILL have more success in your life.
Rituals are not a contest and there is no such thing as Success or
Failure with your rituals. It’s only about creating habits
for success while Living Your Best Life…Period…
Track Your Rituals
With that said, I do feel it can be important to track
your daily rituals. You’ve heard it before and I’ll continue to say
it…
What you focus on Grows. And what you Track
you will Focus On.
So, grab yourself a planner or a notebook, and start
to record your rituals. You can even use your Mobile Device
by just keeping track in your NOTES app. There are also
plenty of mobile apps you can use like the Strides App for setting
goals and lists each day. Most of the mobile apps I use for
rituals also send me reminders and track my progress or “streaks”
for how many days in a row I’ve been consistent. Apps like I
mentioned last week are great for that. (Calm meditation, Day
One journal, Daily Mastermind, Audible, etc.)
Make Adjustments
Also, do your best to create a routine but not get to
a point where you are on autopilot. Take time once per week
to identify if you are making progress toward your goals or if
maybe you are hitting a plateau with your workouts and learning.
Always make sure to create adjustments in your rituals, your
routine, and your daily activities if you are not making the
progress you desire. It’s great to create, track and maintain
daily rituals, but you want to make sure that they are helping you
to accomplish your goals and desires.
Create a Win
I have one last thing that I want to talk to you about
with this topic of daily rituals, and that is this…
Have patience with yourself. It’s not a contest.
Don’t let your rituals become a source of frustration or
disappointment. I used to really get down on myself when I
didn’t make it to the gym or forgot to write in my journal.
Rituals are there to help you to become the best version of
yourself, not to help you become more critical of yourself.
This is HUGE.
Ultimately, if you are able to do even a couple of
your rituals each day I encourage you to Mark it a Win in the Win
Column of Your life. Your Goal each day is to Create a
Win for yourself. The more wins you create the better
you will feel, The more confidence and self esteem you will have,
and The more you will Develop into the BEST VERSION of
YOU.
George Wright III