“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.
The practice of rituals is time memorial. Performed by individuals, communities and groups around the world, rituals help to signify the identity of the individual or society, celebrate a stage of life or commemorate the end of a life, observe religious or spiritual dates of importance, mark the passing of the seasons or a significant date on the calendar such as a new year.
New Year with the ritual of making New Year resolutions and spring, bringing birth to new life in nature and a desire for spring cleaning. Historically, these times of the year have both given cause for deep ritual.
The making and proclaiming of New Year resolutions has a long and somewhat interesting history with the ancient Babylonians vowing to their gods that they would pay their debts and return borrowed objects and the knights of the Medieval era took the peacock vow following Christmas to confirm their pledge to chivalry. Bring it on – let’s revive the peacock vow.
Rituals have a sense of order to them and through repetition become habits; behaviour and emotions that don’t require the engagement of your conscious mind and hence become a rhythm in your everyday life.
7 Rituals to enrich your life and enhance your success
Create a sacred space
- Create a sacred place in your home or office where you can contemplate, meditate, write or set your goals
- Keep the space clean and decorate it with objects, artworks or symbols that are important to you i.e. little pieces of nature like shells or driftwood, photos of inspiring people, mentors or loved ones, spiritual or religious objects or anything that invokes harmonious thoughts and emotions
Engage the senses
- Keep fresh flowers in your sacred space. If you can pick them fresh yourself that is a lovely ritual
- Burn 100% beeswax or soy, naturally scented candles or aromatherapy oils (keep the windows open)
- Play inspirational, devotional or ambient music
- Decorate with colors that are pleasing to your eye and use rich fabrics or artwork
The limbic system is the part of the brain responsible for our sense of smell and it is related to feelings and memory.
Creating aromas that trigger positive emotions or memory can enrich your sense of bliss and well-being.
Listening to music that is pleasant to the ear or inspiring can be uplifting for your mood and mindset.
Incorporating colours and images that appeal to the eye can enhance a sense of harmony and well-being.
Set your daily intention
- When you wake up ask, “How can I make a positive difference today?” OR “What specifically do I must need to focus on today?”
- Focus your attention on your intention
Letting go
- Each morning ask, “What specifically do I need to let go of today?”
- When you are in the shower imagine that the water is purifying your mind, body and spirit and washing away anything that does not serve you
- De-clutter your body, mind and home by “gently” eliminating any foods, thoughts, clothes or household items you no longer need
My mentor, the Late Robert Stone spent years with some of the elders from the Kahuna tribes in Hawaii. Bob taught me an ancient Kahuna ritual. Each morning they would go to the ocean shore where they shake one leg into the sea and imagine any negativity going out of their bodies and being carried away by the ocean. Give it a go and let me know what happens.
Practice gratitude, kindness and compassion
- Start with self directed kindness and compassion and then radiate that feeling outwards towards others
- Spend five minutes focussing on what you are grateful in life. If you find it challenging in the beginning start with the little things; organic food, smiles from friends, a comfortable bed or sunshine. Very quickly you will move on to being grateful for the big stuff
- Is there someone who could benefit from a little help from you? There is no such thing as a small act of kindness, all acts of kindness matter
Practicing gratitude can invoke feelings of bliss that you can carry with you throughout the day.
Mindfulness
- When exercising focus your attention on your body and tune into any feedback it might be giving you. Imagine that you are communicating with every cell in your being
- Commit to eating at least one meal per day in silence and chew every mouthful slowly and thoroughly and without technology in view
- Recite the Zen Buddhist mantra; “When I eat, I eat and when I sleep I sleep.” This gives an instruction to your unconscious mind via your reticular activating system
Good night and sweet dreams
- Repeat the gratitude practice at night before going to sleep and you go to sleep thinking beautiful thoughts
- Review the day and mentally change anything you could have done differently in a more positive or better way
- Enhance your sleep and dream recall by telling yourself: “I will have a deep and sound sleep (I will awake if necessary for any reason of emergency) and I will remember and recall my dreams when I awake in the morning.” Do this every night until it becomes a pattern and you will start to improve your sleep and dream recall
Incorporating rituals in to everyday life does not have to be time consuming. Rituals can be fun and simple whilst adding value to your life and enriching your purpose. If you feel your life is devoid of rituals create your own special rituals to suit your purpose, vision and everyday life.
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