059: Rituals Over Resolutions

SUMMARY:

If you’re learning to play an instrument, 1 hour of practice over the course of 10 days is much more effective than 10 hours of practice in 1 day. Interesting, right? That’s because small steps, consistently taken, over a long amount of time is how humans are wired to learn, grow and change best. Our daily rituals and habits are a key component in helping us do all of those things. They don’t need to be two hours long, but they need to be consistent and manageable. On today’s episode, Kevin and Jeff share their daily rituals and ways that you can develop your own in 2018.

THREE TAKEAWAYS:

1. Your night ritual matters just as much as your morning one.

Google early morning routines of successful people and you ll find hundreds of articles, maybe even thousands. And for good reason, a smart morning routine is a proven way to mentally set yourself up for a happy and productive day. But the mornings tends to get all the credit while we forget about the evenings. Instead of falling asleep on the couch watching Jimmy Fallon, create an evening ritual. It could be laying out your workout clothes for the next day, grinding coffee beans, bookmarking your next day s devotional, making your lunch, etc. A great day begins the night before.

2. Your rituals are for you.

Don t just go through the motions of a ritual because books and articles and podcasts told you to do so. Whether it s a morning, work day, driving or evening ritual consider how you want to feel when the ritual is over. Inspired and encouraged? Organized and prepared? Customize your plan and ritual to practices that will help you feel that.

3. You already have rituals.

You might be thinking I don t have any rituals and I don t have time to add any. But you do. What are the things that you do on a consistent basis? Do you watch 2 or 3 hours of TV after dinner? Do you read when your kids go to bed? Do you stop for coffee most mornings? Those are rituals. Take a look at what your rituals already are and assess if they re working for you. If not, assign their time to something else that will.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Tony Robbins

Jeff s Prayer Ritual:

• What are 7 things you re grateful for right now?
• What are 7 things you re praying for 10 or more years from now?
• What are you praying for God s help on now?