It is well documented, researched and confirmed that having consistent daily routines and rituals will have a dramatic impact on our health, happiness, productivity and success in life.
These good rituals are essential for ensuring your best emotional, psychological and spiritual health.
Exercise, meditation, adequate sleep, reading and learning, investing in personal development, spending time outdoors and with loved ones, planning, taking regular breaks during the day, journaling and daily self-reflection are just a few examples of the rituals that some of the wealthiest and most successful people in the world practice on a daily basis.
- Brendon Burdon, one of the world’s leading trainers in the areas of personal development, motivation and high performance and who also happens to be my mentor and coach meditates everyday at 2pm and at 7pm for 20 minutes.
- Oprah Winfrey is well known to be in bed by 8.30/9pm and up by 5am.
- Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates spends an hour every night before bed reading a book, ranging on topics from politics to current events.
- Both Steve Jobs and Nelson Mandela loved walking – Steve Jobs was known for his walking meetings and Nelson Mandela would often walk for hours at a time.
- Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, is up before 6am every day, out the office by 5.30pm and in bed by 11pm.
- Robin Sharma, one of the world’s premier leaders on this topic spends an hour every Sunday morning creating his “Blueprint for a Beautiful Week” and says this is one of the best rituals he has developed.
- Arianna Huffington the founder of Huffington Post has nap rooms in her offices and tries to start every day with meditation.
The astounding success and achievement that we outwardly see in these people seems effortless and easy. Yet you can be guaranteed that it has taken decades of consistent hard work, dedication and self-control. We see the highlight reels and not the incredible determination and hard work that takes place day in and day out behind the scenes.
Now you may be thinking that you already have too much on your plate; that you could never even contemplate taking on any more. But what if I told you that taking on even some of these success habits would give you exactly what you most likely need and want more of – more energy, focus, patience and a greater sense of being grounded and connected to yourself and those around you.
I know that my daily habits have made all the difference in me maintaining my sanity, health and happiness as I’ve taken on enormous and multiple commitments over the years.
So I thought I would share with you my top 5 daily rituals and habits and hope that they inspire you to either begin incorporating some of them into your day or be more consistent with the daily habits you may have.
Here are my top 5 non-negotiable daily rituals:
- Every morning I ask myself a list of empowering questions. This helps me focus my intention for the day, reminds me of my strengths and to purposefully show up as my best and authentic self.
- I exercise every morning. The type and duration of the exercise I do may vary but I do something every morning. It energizes and inspires me and sets the tone for a productive and committed day of work and connection. In addition to this I always try and get outdoors—even if for just 15 minutes during the afternoon to clear my head and get some fresh air. It’s amazing how much this energizes me for the rest of the day. If I can’t get outside, I at least get up and move around—my back up is my mini-rebounder. Five minutes on that is like a double caffeine boost for me.
- I meditate every day, usually at the end of the day and incorporate into that time for daily reflection and gratitude.
- I read every day for at least an hour – for my personal development and growth. This is probably the most cherished part of my day.
- Every Sunday, I review the past week and plan out the week ahead, blocking time for all the things that I need to do – from working out, to meditation, business meetings, client coaching calls, creating content and seeing friends. In addition each day before dinner I confirm my schedule and plan for the following day, making sure that I have allocated time for the priorities that need to get done in order to move all the projects I am working on forward. This really allows me to see what is working and what is not and keeps me on target with all the deadlines I have.
Now, in all honestly – do I do all of these things every single day, 365 days a year? Not always!
I’m human, just like you, and life happens and sometimes it presents us with unexpected challenges and detours—but these are mostly the exception. However I can say that every day at least 2 – 3 of theses are getting done because when I don’t do them I definitely feel it in one way or another.
So where do you go from here?
I certainly don’t suggest taking all these practices on…and you may already be doing some of these.
In addition I also know that not everyone responds to things in the same way. So it is important to try as many different success habits out as you can and then see which work best for you!
Whatever you decide to do, make sure you do it consistently by making it a non-negotiable priority in your day. That is the only way it will have an impact on your life.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, success, happiness and good health don’t just happen. You need to create them by working hard and being consistent in applying the daily practices that work for you.
And then take the time to appreciate and enjoy the incredible rewards that will come your way!
So what habits do you have that you are willing to commit to even more and what new habits will you start? Share them below and let’s inspire each other to do better and be better.
Until next week – embrace your inner truth, live your purpose and make your contribution in the world today.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Lauren
