Photo by Sarah McD ॐ

RITUALS

I use the word ‘ritual’ when talking about the things I do (at least I try to do) every single day—practices or exercises that I have found on my adventures which over time have been developed, adapted and made to work for me. As the talented Mr Bob Vennum once told me “rework your inspirations to fit your own vision.” To me a ritual is a personal something I do that can really add value to my day and help me draw my dreams closer, faster by allowing me greater clarity and focus in both mind and heart. Think of a ritual as an option or tool to tap into your most-raddest self! Who doesn’t want to be their most rad self most of the time?!

Cultivating daily practices of self-discipline, self-nurturing and self-realization are key to creating a great foundation for a truly remarkable life. We all have the potential to enhance what we are. I’ve found, for me at least, daily rituals lead to peace of mind, and when my mind is clearer ideas flow and the sky is the limit.

RITUAL ONE: MORNING PAGES

Naturally, I have a tendency to think waaaay too much about matters, circumstances, tasks at hand etc. I have a tendency to get distracted easily (which is something I’m working on.) I think so much sometimes my mind becomes cloudy and I get bogged down with trivial things. I often find self-doubt, my inner-critic and censor (bless them) can appear in these moments too. All the obsessing can kill my productivity. It disburses and dissipates my energy and shifts my focus from where it really needs to be. I don’t get anything done! The following ritual helps me cut through all the self-defeating inner ‘chat chat’ to get things done more days than not.

One of my favourite weapons in my ritual arsenal is the concept of ‘Morning Pages’. Each day I wake up, stretch (I adore yoga) and brew a cup of yummy rose green tea. I sit down to write—handwritten stylee—kind of like journaling. I’ve been doing it on and off for years and things are always infinitely better when I do them. For the ritual I like to sit at a little desk I bought at a second-hand store and painted the happiest colour I could find, Aztec Gold. It’s always nice to have an inspiring area to work and create in (more on that in coming posts). A fancy pen and a pretty notebook can also make the process even lovelier—honestly though most times I find myself scrawling on whatever is handy, usually a dog-eared notebook like the ones I used to use in school. The most important thing though is to write.

The idea of Morning Pages is to write to get everything out so your headspace is free to focus on your hearts true path (the things that bring you greatest joy). Why not try it today? You have nothing to lose. If it’s not for you, you never have to do it again EVER! Move the pen from one side of the page to the other and allow yourself to write down whatever comes. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Some mornings I find myself writing, “I have nothing to say. I need to do the groceries today. Did I call my folks yesterday? Blah, blah, blah stuff, stuff, stuff…” Sometimes I just write “This is stupid” over and over until I have a breakthrough—it usually involves me laughing at myself for being so resistant to the process. Remember though what you write is never too silly, stupid, lame or weird, as the pages are for you to look at and no one else. If you’re persistent enough with it, let go and have fun with it you may just find yourself experiencing your very best ideas yet.

I find Morning Pages to be really liberating. It is an authentic, true expression of you, (hopefully) totally uncensored. You can really learn a lot about yourself. Some days I treat it as a meditation. Are there any rituals in your life that you find effective in living your best life?

There’s a great book, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron that I’ve come across in the past month or so that includes Morning Pages as one of the basic principles to helping make your dreams a reality. So what are you waiting for?

You never know, it could be great / Take a chance ‘cause you might grow ~ Gwen Stefani

Get your creative on!

[comment]

Tags: advice, books, challenges, creativity, gwen stefani, Inspiration, lyrics, punk rock, Quotes, rituals, writing, yoga