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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….
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Prayer
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Meditation
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Affirmations
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Workouts
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Reading eBooks
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Listening to Audiobooks
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Listening to Podcasts
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Nutrition & Supplements
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Family Time
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Gratitude Practice
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Journaling
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Studying or Education
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Date Night
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Music
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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
