093: From Routine to Ritual

What is the difference between a Routine and a Ritual?

Do they make you feel different?

Which makes you feel like you are involved in something that is just a normal everyday activity vs. something special?

A Routine is a sequence of actions regularly followed.

A Ritual is defined as a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.

I actually think there’s more to a ritual than this dictionary definition and I’d like to talk today about how we can not only create routines during our days so that they feel easier and take less energy but add rituals that make those routines were already doing feel more special.

I have had a morning routine for YEARS…. Doing the same thing every morning so that I don’t even think about if I’m going to do it, I just naturally do the same things every morning.

I have since created Morning and Evening Rituals that make me look forward to doing them. 

I find that I crave the time I spend in my rituals because of the feelings they create when I do them. 

I feel safe in them. 

I feel connected to my highest self when I do them. 

And I feel like I am adding the fuel I need to get my day started in the right direction.

Do I NOT feel like doing them sometimes….of course!

Sometimes I give in to that and do things a bit differently or skip them all together.

Sometimes that serves me well and other times it gets me off on the wrong foot for the day and I feel, for lack of a better work, yucky.

I really have to pay attention to WHY I don’t feel like doing it in order to make the best choice of whether or not to push myself.

Did I have a bad night’s sleep?

Do I have negative thoughts in my head?

Am I going through something hard that I’m fighting against?

Then, I have to decide if I need to be pushed or coddled.

Sometimes I need a strong hand pushing me back into my routine and sometimes I need a soft blanket.

I need to give myself self-compassion either way.

When you have a routine, or ritual all set up, it saves brain power, so you don’t have to stop and think about every little thing that you do the same every day. 

If you’ve found things that make your life easier and feel help you to feel better, then it is worth the time to add it to the list of things your brain can do on autopilot by making it a part of a routine.

A great example of this is how you take your daily shower.  You’ve done it so many times that you don’t have to think about what comes first, next or last. 

Your mind is then freed up to think about other things.  When you realize that your brain is not busy thinking through what to do next, it makes sense that you get great ideas in the shower.  It’s in a more relaxed state and not focused on the amount of soap to put in your shower poof!

Professional athletes have rituals they go through before every event.  Have you noticed that?

This is true for high-achievers in any profession.

Creating other routines like this into our lives can be life changing for you too!

You can achieve more by doing less.

You move from one task to another more efficiently and keep your brain energy free for other activities.

You can create a routine for just about anything that you do practically every day.

Imagine the energy you would save with more routines built into your day.

I like to uplevel from a routine to a ritual by making it feel more special.

My morning routine is: Journal, pray, exercise, study the scriptures, fill out my connection planner, meditate, get ready for the day, start working.

I uplevel it from routine to ritual by lighting a candle while I journal and I play chirping bird sounds in the background.  I make my favorite drink, Crio Bru to sip on while I study and read.  See what I mean by upleveling a simple activity into something more special?

Take a minute and write down something you do every day, like how you get ready for work in the morning.

What order do you always do it in?

Write that down too.

Now, how can you turn that routine into something special?  What could you add to make it into a ritual?

I’ve created an uplifting playlist of song that make me feel more energy that I listen to when I’m getting ready for the day. 

I only listen to this playlist during that time.

I have other playlists I listen to during other activities, like when I run.

When it’s specific to a certain activity, it makes it more special.

See what I mean?

It’s not hard to change something from a routine to a ritual.

It just takes a little bit of intention.

You’ll see the difference right away.

If you’ve never set up a morning routine, or at least one that you look forward to, I can help you with that.

Camp Connection is a workshop I teach that helps you start your day with purpose and gives you the outline for a morning routine.

If you wake up without a plan, it can be really hard to get yourself going.

But when you have a set way that you start EVERY day, you have pre-set yourself up for success.

Camp Connection is about more than a morning routine, but it is definitely that too.

The systems I teach you walk you through how you want to spend your day.

They help you get in the right frame of mind to handle whatever comes your way.

Getting started with intention makes all the difference!

Register for Camp Connection by going to Hunkeedori.com/camp.

Use the code 25OFF to get $25 off the workshop.

I’m also offering a FREE workshop to help you make and keep commitments to yourself, like starting a morning routine.  It’s called the Self-Commitment workshop and I’ll send you the code to get this workshop FREE when you register for Camp Connection before May 9, 2023.

These two workshops are a perfect complement to each other.

You build self-esteem and love for yourself when you start making and keeping the commitments you’ve made to yourself.  You will connect deeper with who you are and who you want to become as you commit to a daily routine like the one taught in Camp Connection.

I hope you’ll join me for these two great workshops!

Thank you for joining me here today and remember:

I see you.  I understand how hard you’re trying, and I’d like to help however I can.

Have a wonderful day and I’ll see you back here next week.

093: From Routine to Ritual