Daily Rituals

Did you clean your teeth this morning?

Yep, I bet you did and with out giving it a second thought.

That is because it is one of your daily rituals. This type of daily activity defines us in some way and can affect our personal life as well as our business life.

For example, do you always buy the same newspaper, or drink the same tea, park in the same parking space if available, or sit in a certain chair. Do your clothes get put on in the same order?

We don't question these things because it is a way of behaving that suits us. We have found it gives us the feelings or results we require and is repeated on such a regular basis that we don't have to think about the action, indeed we are often thinking about something completely different whilst performing these daily rituals.

How about an upgrade? How about adding a daily ritual that serves you at a deeper level?

To achieve lasting change consider these two points.

• New habits or rituals will only serve you if they change some part of your life for the better.
• It takes 21 - 28 days of performing the new activity for it to become a established behaviour, to become a new habit.

At the end of the summer last year, I was considering the days getting shorter and the prospect of my dogs being walked in the dark on the days I got home from work late. The idea filled me with dread. But it was my habit to walk them in the evening. I always had, didn't give it a second thought. What if.......what if I got up earlier and walked them in the morning before work. No, not likely I thought. I have enough to do in the mornings as it is. But the image of walks in the dark began to feel more ominous than the thought of getting up earlier (not easy for an owl to become a lark!) I decided that as soon as the clocks changed I would audition this new ritual and see if I could manage it.

It didn't take long to experience the feelings of joy. Walking in the daylight and having less to worry about later in the day outweighed the effort of getting out of bed earlier by huge huggy handfuls.

A new ritual was established quicker than I thought possible because of the great feeling I experienced. The feeling out weighed the thoughts.

So you have to want it, but more importantly for successful adoption of the new ritual you have to be able to FEEL it. To feel the result it will bring you. The feeling part of you will create a longer lasting change. Using that part of you will enable you to repeat the action easily for 21 days, by which time you have 'upgraded'.

What could you upgrade?

How could you go deeper to a feeling part of you and change?

What do you want to achieve - your goals - and how would you feel if you achieved them?

Let me know...and tell me how that FEELS!