Embracing Daily Rituals
Two years ago today, circumstances occurred in my life that caused me to know that I had to make some drastic changes. While I'm not ready to share the details, and I'm not even sure that they're important, these circumstances were a catalyst for me to start a journey of searching for what would make me happy. I had no idea at the time what that would entail. Even though, I had been on a spiritual journey, I just didn't get it on a personal level. I could talk about it all day long, and intellectually I understood, but my thoughts of negativity and self doubt still controlled so much of my life.
Sometimes, when we look back at situations, we know that even though going through them was hard, our lives are better because of them. At times, I still go back to the negative thoughts and self doubt, but I am aware that I'm in a bad place and have tools to come back to being happy. This took a lot of work and discipline on my part and I'm still working daily on building my confidence. Change can be hard, and I believe that unfortunately, we can get addicted to the drama of our lives.
"We ultimately become what we repeatedly do".
Going through life day by day, it can seem that nothing changes, but when you look back you really see that everything is different. That's why it's so important to incorporate daily rituals. We're all human and make mistakes but no one is able to rescue us from ourselves. Our power comes from learning to control our thoughts.
Here are some of the things I try to do and embrace daily.
1. Meditate. When I meditate first thing in the morning my day is better and I tend to make better choices. I am more aware of how I feel. This is my number one priority because it makes the other four things so much easier to achieve. You can read more about how to start a meditation practice here.
2. I try to watch out for negative self-talk. I know things are going to work out for the best and when I catch myself thinking negatively, I turn the thought around (most of the time), or think about something else entirely different that's positive. I know that a belief is a thought that I think over and over and I want positive beliefs. I know I am blessed beyond measure!
3. I try to take the path of least resistance. There is no reason to make things bigger or worse than they are. The path of least resistance is putting first things first. I try to use my time efficiently and do the things that are important for making my life the best it can be. We all need to simplify, and sometimes, our lives are better because we subtracted instead of adding. This includes learning to say "no" more often. Saying "no" isn't selfish, it's self care.
4. I try to appreciate where I am. Every circumstance and event in my lives has brought me to where I am this very day. I try to give myself grace when I mess up and realize just how far I've come. I still have things that I'm working on and "it is what it is", so that's where I have to start. I appreciate how far I've come in my life - let's just call it "hot mess to mindful mess". I want to move forward with grace.
5. I try to remember that I'm human. We are far more than the circumstances that we're currently in. We will change many times in our lives and we are always beautiful simply because we're human.
6. I try to remember that I am being guided by the Universe each step of the way if I will just listen. This is THE reason that I meditate.
For each step, I say "I try" because I am human and sometimes, that's all I can do! Tomorrow is another day and each day (actually each moment) is an opportunity to begin again!
If you are interested in self help books that have helped me, here are a few of my favorites:
The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne Dyer
Ask and It Is Given by Ester and Jerry Hicks
The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein
I hope you all have a beautiful and peaceful weekend! Thanks so much for reading!