All posts tagged rituals

Put Your Sneakers By The Door

I’m a runner. Okay, really I’m just a jogger and I usually plod
along. But I’m most days you will find me outside running three to five miles.
My friends ask me how I do it, how I get the discipline to run every day.
Honestly, that’s easy. It’s become a habit. I automatically lace up my sneakers
(mostly in the morning) and trek out just because it’s become part of my day. I
don’t often think about the health benefits, or the extra food I might be able
to eat. Running is just part of me.

I’m also a writer. Well, not really.
I’m a blogger, who has written a few articles, a couple of books and most
recently a chapter about Positive Psychology and high performance teams. However
my writing, unlike my running, comes in fits and starts. At times I have to
force myself to sit down and write something, anything, just to get going. But
unlike those writers who say they have to write every day I havent’ gotten in
the habit. Why? I haven’t put my sneakers by the door.

No, I haven’t
lost my mind. I’ve heard that in running one of the toughest things to do is
lace up your sneakers. I disagree. The toughest thing is to put them on. When
you place them where you can’t miss them they are a constant reminder that they
want to be worn. When I first went back to running a few years ago I put my
sneakers in a very visible place as a reminder every day. Now I don’t need to do
that.

But what about something else you want to do? Whether you are a
writer, a parent, a professional and there is something you want to improve on,
or at least work at every day you can create habits. The easiest way to create a
habit is to develop a ritual that you do on a consistent basis.

I’ve not
created a ritual for my writing. For those who follow me on this blog I you know
I haven’t written for about a month. Though I know I write best in the morning I
always find myself reading the news first, or scrolling through my emails and
the next thing I know the morning has disappeared. Even running can be a
distraction from my writing. A fellow artist told me the other day that he wakes
up and starts writing. No distractions, no checking email. He has created
the time and the space where he immediately puts words to paper (or words to
screen). That might work for me. I need a visual reminder of what I want. As I
open my laptop in the morning, or unscrew the top of my fountain pen I can enter
a world of words and get lost in them.

Putting your sneakers by the door
is a ritual reminding you to put them on. Placing your laptop or pen in a quiet
area and going there the same time every day is equally as ritualistic. What is
your ritual to the next thing you wish to do?

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by Scott Asalone on September 17, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Personal Greatness
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Posted by Scott Asalone on September 17, 2013

https://greatnessproject.wordpress.com/2013/09/17/put-your-sneakers-by-the-door/

The Ritual Effect

DSCN1093Many years ago when I first began speaking to audiences I would become so nervous I’d want to vomit. I was given some great instruction and wonderful advice that has helped me transition to a much calmer and more professional speaker. One of the key pieces of advice was to create a “ritual.” Seriously? When I first heard the word “ritual” I thought of incense and prayers since as an ordained clergyman I’ve participated in many rituals over the years. But what was suggested to me was using a physical movement that would trigger my body when I was about to speak. My body would then react by moving the energy to where I needed it and not leave it in my stomach. All these years later I still use that same quick ritual before I speak and I feel myself gaining control.

Recently Forbes Magazine ran an article about two associate professors at Harvard, Michael Norton and Francesca Gino, who are researching the effects of rituals. They discovered that rituals help alleviate grief and also enhance the experience of eating. Well, as a clergyman, I know about alleviating grief, but had to smile at rituals enhancing eating. Yet what I wondered is why it has taken so long for many of us to catch on to the power of rituals.
Rituals enhance, assist and invigorate most activities. Actors, singers, athletes and business men and women use them effectively every day to be better at what they do. A ritual helps them prepare, focus and be energized throughout an action. We now teach professionals to create their own rituals so that they can quickly engage in an activity rather than be hesitant or distracted.
For example, when I am writing something new I prefer to create the idea long hand. Only once the idea is on paper do I sit at my keyboard and flesh it out. But the ritual I use before I write brings my mind into focus and relaxes me. First I purchased some very nice pens. My favorite is a fountain pen which I purposely fill with ink each time I want to start a new article, or book. The movement of deliberately picking up the pen, opening it and filling it with ink relaxes and focuses me. It’s as if my mind and body know what’s coming and so they are ready.
What rituals do you use in your life and work? How do you prepare your mind and body so you will be more relaxed and focused during any activity? Remember, you can create rituals to enhance anything you do. Just as long as they are followed every time by that activity your mind and body will be more in tune and more focused as you start. And you can even use them to enjoy your meals more.
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by Scott Asalone on June 7, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Scott Asalone on June 7, 2013

https://greatnessproject.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/the-ritual-effect/

STAY in Your Comfort Zone

We live in a world where change seems constant. Technology outpaces our ability to utilize it and to monitor the improper use of it. Corporations radically restructure their infrastructure, platforms and products. Even the pace of inter-generational gaps accelerates dramatically leaving us befuddled in our family or social communication. Yet, this does not mean that we, as individuals or even businesses, have to embrace the same mindset of constant change.

We hear mantras like “change or die,” “think outside the box,” and “get out of your comfort zone.” The challenge is that these concepts are essential to technology businesses and much of the competitive core that makes us our economy. Organizations and corporations need to create, innovate and examine opportunities and weaknesses on a regular basis. Some have gone overboard and waste precious time and energy with constant hierarchical restructuring, but that is a thought for another blog. The challenge is that this “constant change” thinking affects and infects how individuals think about themselves and their work.

If something is working. If your life is going well. If you enjoy what you do and are doing it well. LEAVE IT ALONE! Yes, you continue to work on your skills or relationships to improve them, but you don’t need to put change in your life for change sake. Constant change activates the emotional brain into a fight-flight-freeze response and that is the sure-fire way to kill success.

Athletes have known this for decades. When they are in the zone, when everything is going right, they don’t change a thing. They use the same rituals to prepare, eat the same food, go through the same game-day routines and ride the wave of success. It is when they suspect they could improve an element of their game, or they feel something going wrong that they move to change it.

So when things at work or at home are going well; when what occupies our time also fills our soul, we need to enjoy it. That’s why they call it a “comfort zone.” Allowing these moments in our lives give us the energy to continue the journey and eventually reenter the maelstrom of change.

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by Scott Asalone on May 16, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Scott Asalone on May 16, 2013

https://greatnessproject.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/stay-in-your-comfort-zone/

Routine Deserves Better Press

Do you want to get something done, or do you want to be spontaneous and innovative? As a writer, speaker and entrepreneur (and a researcher about achievement and greatness) I’m torn between creating routines and being spontaneous and creative. People who love being spontaneous tell us that they wait for the moment to strike and then they write all night, or create new work, or just get tons of things done. Other say that they have to dig in the same time each day and gradually get things done. Though I’d like to be thought of as spontaneous, creative and flexible I’ve learned to lean toward routine and I believe if you really want to accomplish something you should too.

Routine and ritual have gotten a bad name over the past few years. People pass them off as dull and boring, or even worse they call them the four letter word – “work.” And we know what happens then, people can’t wait to finish work and get to life. That’s a topic for another time, but in short there is no dichotomy between life and work.  However back to ritual and routine. What ritual and routine develop, if embraced correctly, is a mental attitude and preparedness that allows you to engage in the process faster and be more productive.

I’ve  ritualized my day a little more lately and here is what I’ve discovered. Once I have my first cup of coffee and done some meditation my mind is ready to write because that’s what I’m setting time aside to do. I find myself relaxing into the complex dynamic of putting words together early in the day. Recently, because of an upcoming deadline, I’ve been writing until noon. The more I do it, the faster I drop into the zone, words flow and I’m more productive.

Of course it is not spontaneous. It is not pretty and no one is going to make and indie film for Sundance based on someone doing the same thing for a few hours every day. But it works. Think about something you’ve longed to accomplish: painting a room, building a deck (not me), writing a book, or learning a language.
– Pick a time: if you start at the same time every day your body and mind will adjust and be prepared to dive in. You don’t have to start exactly the second you choose, but close to it.
– Pick an amount of time: be reasonable. I can only write until noon right now because I’m not traveling.I normally write for one hour each morning. So decide on the amount of time you can spend each day on the task. If you allocate too much time you will give up quickly because there are other things to do.
– Just sit there. I’ve found that the discipline of just being in the space helps. When you first start, you may find that time drags, or you can’t seem to start. Stay the full time. Eventually your mind will adjust and you will be productive in the time.
– Just start. I’m met so many people who’ve never been able to finish anything because they were always preparing. Sometimes you just have to write the first word, the first note, hammer the first nail, learn the first word and then you are off and running.

Ritual and routine need better press because it is within this framework that the most creative people work.  Every morning when I sit down to write, there are some days when my fingers fly on the keys, other days when I plod. But each day I’m always grateful for what I accomplished the day before. So, how about you? What do you want to accomplish? Time to set up the routine.

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by Scott Asalone on September 12, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Scott Asalone on September 12, 2012

https://greatnessproject.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/routine-deserves-better-press/

How To Pack Your Suitcase and Save Brain Power

Packing for Seattle yesterday morning I realized how much brain power I was saving. I’ve packed so many times that it is rote memory at this point. How my shoes go in, where I put my razor, how my tee shirts are packed. And even though I’m adding some vacation time to this business trip, it added only a moment’s hesitation. Very little brain power was used in this packing.

So, why is that important? Recent research indicates that we use up brain power as we make decisions. Even the little decisions such as which cereal we eat, depletes our brain power. Now, think of how many choices we have in a day. We probably have hundreds before we leave the house in the morning. The problem is that as the day progresses and our brain become tired (to use a very unscientific term) we start making decisions based more on gut instinct, or the easiest choice rather than thinking about them. Essentially we become stupid.

There is a way to give the brain a break. Create good habits. I’m not talking about the good habits of what we eat or how we behave, though those are necessary in society. I’m talking about taking away the thinking involved in the mundane tasks so that we can have the brain power left over to use on the difficult ones.

Simply put, be boring in some areas of your life. It’s okay. Though some people say that creativity is enhanced when you drive to work a different way, or brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand (that’s tough) but I’d rather save my creativity for writing or music. And I’d rather save my brain power for some important decision-making.

Think about it. When you awake in the morning knowing what you are wearing (even if you didn’t put it out the night before) and you eat the same (hopefully nutritious) breakfast, you’ve saved yourself from having to make all of those decisions. It makes the day easier.

Since I fly so much out of Newark Airport I always park in the same aisle. That way, when I get off a plane I never have to think where my car is. It’s always in the same place. I do the same with my glasses and wallet when I enter my house. I never have to think about it. It saves me time and brain power.

So, what good habits can you adopt especially with those things you do on a regular basis? Find a routine you don’t have to think about and imbed it into your daily life. It makes life much easier to live and it gives you some left over brain power for those difficult decisions like what movie to watch on the flight?

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by Scott Asalone on May 16, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Scott Asalone on May 16, 2012

https://greatnessproject.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/how-to-pack-your-suitcase-and-save-brain-power/