How Do Your Rituals Serve You?

Dear Friend,

"When you always do what you've always done, You always get what you've always gotten."

~Tony Robbins

Our rituals are a reflection of how we live our lives. They reflect what we do day-in and day-out. Our rituals build the fabric of our lives and contribute to the results that we desire. Last week I asked you to reexamine five to 10 rituals in your life and see if they were adding to your life in positive ways. I suggested that you consider replacing those rituals that were not positive. For example, if the ritual of getting to your office every morning, going down to the cafeteria, getting a hearty breakfast and chatting with colleagues is not working - how might you replace it? Here are a couple of suggestions:

• Get to work early to prepare for your day
• Change what you eat at breakfast (not who or when you eat)
• Workout at the company gym with your colleagues rather than eating breakfast
• Schedule a professional development breakfast once each week with different colleagues throughout the company
• Spend your morning working from home rather than wasting precious time in highway traffic
• Have breakfast with clients or potential clients once each week

The reason I list these examples is because I think you need to know what problem you are solving in order to get the right answer. In other words what do you want to change in your life? Without knowing what you want to change it is difficult to reconfigure your rituals in order to bolster your life. So this week let's return to our goals since they represent where we desire to be in 2009 and let's match these goals against our rituals.

Ask yourself three questions:

• How does this ritual serve my goals?
• Is this ritual the best way for me to achieve my goals?
• Is this ritual sustainable?

Make It Happen

Use these three questions to examine each of your rituals in the context of your goals. Remember that this process takes time so it may take some adjustment to find the best sustainable ritual to achieve your goal. Identify and lock in accountability to help to sustain the ritual. Research shows that it can take 21 days to form a habit - so be patient, be diligent, and persevere! Remember we want to make 2009 Your Best Year and that takes appropriate planning and diligence - stay strong! Blessings to you!

What Are Your Rituals?

Dear Friend,

"In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently." ~Tony Robbins

A ritual defined by Merriam Webster's is a something that is done in accordance with a "social custom or normal protocol." When we think of rituals it is easy to be drawn towards the cultural or religious rituals of particular groups such as the Maori, the Native Americans, the Aborigines, or the Celts. In each of these cultures rituals serve to define and unite the culture. There are other rituals that reflect what Webster's defines as "normal protocol." In other words a ritual can also be a habit that is fully adopted into our lives - a process or series of actions we do almost without conscious thought. Of course, at some point we thought about them, but today they flow into our lives seamlessly. Reflect back to when you were little; your parents likely helped you build many rituals such as brushing your teeth before bed, taking a bath, doing homework and so on. As adults we've built rituals into our lives. Consider your morning routine - is it pretty much the same day to day, week to week? I bet it is and that is because we are creatures of habit. Once we figure out a way of being - a ritual - that works, we stick to it. Notice I said a ritual that works versus a ritual that nourishes or fulfills. That is because often we don't take time to consciously choose our actions and habits. We build our lives through little rituals from getting up and working out or getting up and drinking coffee ... and on and on. If we reexamine our rituals and accept the ones that work for us and write down the ones that don't work for us we can take the first step to transform our life.

Make It Happen

This week make a list of five to 10 rituals in your life. (They can be as simple as waking up in the morning, how you follow up with a potential client, or attending weekly worship services.) Examine each of these rituals and consider if they support you in getting the results you desire. A couple of weeks ago I asked you to create your vision for 2009 - will your current rituals sustain the results you desire? Do you need to rethink any of your rituals? Examine your rituals with a creative eye - explore them as if this is the first time and uncover unique ways to replace negative rituals with positive, nourishing rituals that propel you forward to creating Your Best Year!

Blessings to you!