“Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment.” – Zig Ziglar
Ellen DeGeneres recites mantras and meditates and the president of the United States, Mr. Barrack Obama makes it a daily ritual to eat breakfast with his wife and daughters every morning before he starts his day at the Oval office. Apparently Irish actor, Colin Farrell wears the same boxers covered in shamrocks with “the luck of the Irish” on the waistband whenever he starts a new movie shoot.
These practices are all rituals; intentional actions chosen to create habits in behavior and beliefs that can improve everyday life and enhance performance in specific areas. Rituals can deepen your connection and understanding with everything from birth to death and nature to the local community. Rituals can serve as a sanctuary for our feelings of joy, spirituality or unresolved grief.
What do you do in the morning when you wake up? Run to the toilet, grab a drink of water and look out the window to investigate the weather or eyes half closed check Facebook to see how many new “friends” you have? Think about it, you most likely do the same thing morning after morning.
Rituals shape your everyday life and can enhance your personal productivity and goal achievement by exploiting the brains’ capacity to focus your behavior on autopilot even with subliminal distractions; rituals tend to engage your attention and focus more fully. Read more…