Create Your Own Rituals ; Secrets of Simplicity

The type of ritual I refer to is anything you do, which you consider special and which brings joy to your heart.   Daily habits are a type of ritual. We do them everyday without thinking; brushing your teeth, drinking coffee, tying your shoes and making your lunch for work.

Being intentional about your daily rituals will bring a certain rhythm to an otherwise unpredictable world. While rituals can be observed anytime of the day, I often find morning routines or rituals are best able bring order to life when they are consistently observed. Bringing personalized moments into your dayscan also establish a refreshing balance to an otherwise hectic life.

When encouraging my clients to establish their own daily rituals, some are unsure how to take the first step into this practice. The word ritual is not one used in random conversation and the thought makes some uncomfortable. If you find yourself unsure of how to explore a daily ritual for yourself, there are several ways to begin the process.

If it is easier, think of it as establishing a morning routine; something you daily practice to bring order and strength to your day. Then begin to shift from the word routine, which can be mundane; to ritual; which is defined as “a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.”

I have a friend who has a special ritual for getting up in the morning. She wakes up before her alarm clock, and makes herself a cup of coffee in her favorite mug. She adds just the right amount of cream and sugar and wraps her fingers around her mug. It is her favorite because it fits her hands perfectly. Then, rain or shine she wraps herself in a favorite quilt and heads out to her screened porch where she sits in her favorite wicker chair. There, wrapped in all kinds of coziness and solitude she begins her day. She doesn’t write, or pray or think about the day ahead. Instead she chooses to just sit and drink in the sounds of the morning. Knowing if the rest of her day becomes hectic, she has had this one moment of everything being exactly how she likes it.

One of the obstacles to creating a life which speaks simplicity, is being unsure of what you want life to look like for you and your family. If you have no idea where you are headed, it is very easy to get off track and never arrive at your destination. During different seasons of life I have practiced a variety of rituals and you may find this to be the case for your as well.

When our children were small, morning rituals were different from they are today as an empty nester. Surprisingly, I was more diligent in my practice to observe ritual at that time in my life than I am now. Discipline was sanity in those days. I have latitude now and often find myself using it to become less conscientious in the practice of my morning routine. I have become sloppy and it shows. When I slip to this place, it affects my personal outlook  and my attitude all day!

• Do you have a ritual you practice daily?
• If you have a daily ritual, how do you stay consistent?
• Have you had a time when you too became sloppy (help a girl feel better please!)

 “For me starting the day without a pot of tea would be a day forever out of kilter.”   – Bill Drummond

Today’s Challenge- Spend 30 minutes considering what your ideal morning would look like. Work hard to silence the voices which whisper to you ideal is not realistic and you are wasting your time trying. I am pretty sure the same voices which shout to me, lurk in your mind as well. (Let’s establish before we start, they are a mess and we don’t need them!)

Journal, make a list, or draw a picture of what the ideal start to your day might look like. 

• List 3-5 elements of your ideal morning.
• How would experiencing a morning like that affect your day tomorrow?
• What part of that day feels impossible?
• How can you deconstruct the impossible and create possible?  (think outside the box- stretch…. come on… you CAN do this!)
• Choose at least one thing from your list or journal entry you can implement within the next 24 hours.
• Share in the comments your one thing.
• Repeat your one thing for the next five days.

If you are enjoying this journey please invite your friends, family and random acquaintances to join in- the world will be a better place because of it ! Share the love and bring them along on your quest for less stuff (inside and out) and more of a life you love!  You will find a place to sign up on the top right of the screen! Someone will receive a special gift at the end of our journey!  Blessings my friends!