If goals are where you want to go, then rituals are how you get there.
"Carve out a little time every day to focus on the things that matter most, and the benefits will return to you exponentially." Marc and Angel Chernoff - Authors of 'Getting Back To Happy' The truth is that goals don't make positive changes happen. Daily habits do.
Perhaps you relate more to the idea of a daily ritual.
If you're a bodybuilder, your goal is to win a bodybuilding competition. Your ritual is what you do to train your body at the gym each day. If you're a writer, then your goal may be to write a screenplay. Your ritual is the time you dedicate each day to putting your thoughts on paper.
If you're a parent, perhaps your goal is to be a great role model. Your ritual is the time and energy you commit to setting a good example each day. If you're a human being, your goal is to live a happy, meaningful life. You're ritual is the small, positive steps forward you take every day. What do your daily rituals look like and are they setting you up for the life and goals that you want?
Willpower doesn't work. Rituals work. The repetition creates a pathway in your brain that says, "This is important. Set this on autopilot." For proof, please refer to your morning routine. I'm sure there's a pattern: Wake, bathroom, brush teeth, coffee, shower, etc. Yours may be different, but I bet 99% of us perform the actions in the same order 99% of the time. That's a habit. We created that habit. You can create anything you want with the right habit. It's literally how we work biologically. We use it all the time, often to create things we don't want. Now it's time to use it for good instead of evil.
Remember that 80/20 rule I spoke about last week?
What is the ONE small thing you can change that will make the biggest impact in getting you where you want to go? Do it. And focus on that. Only that. Avoid the overwhelm and focus on that one small thing that is in line with your goal (remember a goal is a place to come from) that you can do daily to get you where you want to go.
What rituals do you have to help you get where you want to go?
Leave me a comment and let me know what helps you the most!