Rituals are food for the soul.
When I say “ritual,” I bet you think this post is about to get weird. But since you clicked through to get here, I know you’re at least curious about personal growth in this area.
What is a ritual?
Simply put, a ritual is a habit we place great importance on. That great importance is what holds us accountable to continue practicing the ritual. Only when the ritual becomes habit, can we start to lean into all the facets of growth that ritual prompts.
What does it mean to thrive?
To me, it means to keep learning, to keep growing, and to keep getting better.
New experiences can teach us a lot in a small amount of time. But what about the extended periods of time when things are more predictable? There are two options. We can merely exist, or we can choose to thrive if we are intentional about practicing our rituals. Here are a few examples of rituals that I personally practice:
Prayer & Church
Praying throughout the week happens whenever I fuel my body with food or rest, but the most intentional prayer of my week happens at church during communion. At church, there is something truly special about singing and exploring the gospel that opens my soul up in ways it hasn’t been all week.
Meditation
This is a different experience for everyone. It’s not meant to be one size fits all so please don’t be discouraged if you’ve “failed” before. You can’t fail at mediation. As soon as you can accept and appreciate your effort, you will begin to see the benefits carry over hugely into your life. What helped me find value in meditation is to look at it from a new perspective: If prayer is talking, then mediation is listening. I always come out of the experience refreshed and often inspired.
Journaling
Journaling is a practice that has helped me be even more intentional with my time, more productive in my days, and thus more successful in my life. I truly believe that when a person starts to reap the rewards of journaling, it becomes a necessary part of their day.
Gratitude & Affirmation
Every morning when I wake up I say, “thank you for this day, thank you for my life, thank you for my loved ones.” When it’s the first thing I focus on every day, all the anxiety of my busy life falls to the wayside and the important things are lifted up to the forefront of my mind. An affirmation is similar in that it’s a statement, but it focuses on a desired future as if it were the present. Affirmations are a powerful tool that I also highly recommend.
Find what works for you.
You may partake in one or 10 rituals every day or one every week. Start with what works for you and see how you grow. I encourage you to examine your rituals to ensure they are always healthy and with the purpose of keeping you centered, motivated and accountable so that you can continue to grow into a better version of yourself – every single day.
