Daily Rituals Are Your New Best Friend
I am not a morning person. I love sleeping in, and when I wake up I do so slowly. Especially in the winter time, it takes me quite a bit to click in (especially when a 2 year old jumps on my bed yelling, “She’s awake! She’s awake!” and then takes up half my pillow…okay, I kinda like that) and I feel foggy for a good half hour or more, not really sure of what I had planned to do the previous day.
In the past those mornings pretty much dictated the rest of my day, and either my mood would shift or it wouldn’t, a perspective I kind of felt resigned to. Although they may start out the same way, my mornings are quite different these days. I indulge in the fog for a bit, enjoying my morning coffee and putz around on facebook, and then I engage in my daily ritual.
What’s this, you ask? Why it’s only the single most impactful, effective, miraculously wonderful thing I have come across in my life! And it’s not a new concept, of course, but I see it with new eyes.
In my last post I talked about choosing and practicing daily habits to help support the emotional state you need to be in to reach a goal. It’s the same thing here, yet not just to reach a goal, but to enjoy and use each day as the miraculous gift that it is. I have 7 daily habits that I practice, my routine, though the order is usually different each day (I love me some variety!). And no matter what side of the bed I wake up on, no matter what I am hit with in the wee hours of the day, I know beyond any kind of certainty that I can reclaim that day for my highest purpose simply by practicing those habits. (Check out my previous post “Small Habits that Improve Your Life BIGTIME” to see a list of habits that you can try on.)
And my days are wonderful. I am happy, joyful, appreciative, present, focused and motivated. (Disclaimer: I am human, some days are not like this, and those are the days I skip my habits because, well, I don’t know, I’m human!)
Start now, just try it. Take a moment to create a routine of just a couple things, like writing down 10 things you are grateful for each day, saying an affirmation that makes you feel good, or committing to read inspiring material at the beginning or end of each day. Stick to this routine for a week and you’ll see. Stick to this routine for a month and you’ll be amazed.
12 Comments
Hi Nova
I totally agree with your post. I’m actually starting a 30 day Gratitude challenge on my facebook page next Tuesday to help cement a daily ritual of keeping a gratitude journal. I’d love you to join me.
That’s fantastic, Maxine! I will certainly join you, I do keep keep a gratitude journal already as one my own daily habits, but I’m going to incorporate “future appreciations”, as suggested by Linda, so this will be a perfect way to “cement” that for me. Fun!
Great article. Daily rituals do have the power to change our lives!
Indeed! I’ve always been a bit of a dabbler in the past, having a ritual here and there that I would do but not consistently. It wasn’t until I hired my business coach early last fall when I was held accountable to follow through every day that I began to see the true power behind it. Now I wonder what the heck took me so long
I love the part of being grateful for at least 10 things daily. I try to do that during the day and especially before bed because it brings to mind the wonderful things that happened even when it has been a rough day.
Exactly, Teresa, and it helps you fall asleep feeling good, which encourages you to wake up feeling good, and the cycle continues!
Thanks for the motivation! I am trying to change my life big time right now and am doing many things daily to keep me on my path. I think it is the only thing keeping me moving forward:) I totally see the power in it.
I totally know what you mean. It’s a subtle difference at first, yet strong enough to know that it’s taking you somewhere, and any day your skip your ritual you can definitely tell. The best part is that even when you feel lost, confused, off-track, whatever, you have a place to consistently return to so you ARE moving forward. And that power just continues to grow the longer you do it, and all the sudden there are possibilities that you never saw before
.
Love the post Nova — and I’m right there with you. My husband drags me out of bed at 6:00 am to get the kids off to school but I don’t really function until at least 3 cups of joe! Love the gratitude… hmmm, maybe I’ll think gratitude thoughts as I emerge from my morning grog!
Thanks for the great post!
Sheila
I should’ve added “coffee” to the list, lol. All nutritional impact aside, the stuff raises my vibration and makes me feel good
Gratitudes in the shower are still my favorite though. Thanks for sharing!
I’m not a morning person either:) the trick for me was In finding daily rituals that don’t feel like chores, and for me the Love game is definitely tons of fun. I’ve been doing a 365 days of gratitude game where everyday I find something I love and am totally grateful for. This has certainly raised my vibration a lot:)
I LOVE the love game! That’s my go-to move whenever I catch myself feeling crabby, distracted, out of focus, etc. And I love reading your gratitude posts on fb