Rituals:
A series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone.
Certainly you do similar things each weekday and on weekends but have you ever given much thought to determine if…
- You do them for the right reasons?
- You do them at the right time?
- You do them at the right place?
- You, instead of someone else, should be doing them?
More importantly…
Have you established rituals that create leverage?
Have you established rituals that create value?
Have you established rituals that create calm?
Have you established rituals that create momentum?
Have you established rituals that make each day fun, fulfilling, and financially favorable?
See, rituals are more than just habits.
They must add meaning to your life and to the lives of others.
If you haven’t given this much thought, then don’t worry, you are not alone.
Most people don’t.
But here’s how to start…
Think of each day having 3 parts:
BEFORE
What do you do before interacting with others each day? What do you do to prepare your mind, body, and spirit?
My friend Doug owns a national law firm. He is extremely “busy” and successful.
Yet he doesn’t get out of bed until 10 am.
Every morning, he spends that time with his wife.
They eat breakfast in bed, read the morning paper, talk about the day, etc..
That is his “before” ritual. Pretty impressive.
Imagine how your relationship with your significant other would be like if you did that—even if for just one day a week!
DURING
During each day’s activities, have you created systems that manage the expectations of others so that distractions are minimized and productivity is increased?
Do you execute off of your “to-do” list or do you react to the actions of others all day?
Do you feel in control?
If not, you haven’t created actions and behaviors that help maintain efficiency.
Are you still frantically multi-tasking? Or can you calmly do one thing at a time with 100% focus and presence?
AFTER
At the end of each day, do you analyze how the day went?
What you could have done better? What shouldn’t you have done?
Do you talk to your loved ones about their day?
Do you plan the following day, making sure that everything important to you gets done?
Rituals can make you more responsible.
…and the more responsible you become, the more in control you have over the outcome.
