Some days I try to inspire you to make you feel like success is within reach (it is). Other days I tell you to just do something, anything, every day. I go on about showing up, and adding one stroke to your gallery, even when it’s hard, even when the stroke sucks.
That emotional oomph that fills your chest and makes your mind race with possibility isn’t enough. If the oomph is all you have then you’re bound to fail.
That euphoric feeling you have just after being inspired is a window of opportunity that’s valuable but brief. You can’t possibly start that company, quit your job, lose the weight, gain the weight, or meet The One™ during that brief high of inspiration. If you try, you’ll lose steam very shortly and you’ll end up with no business, a job you hate, too fat, too skinny, and alone. That sucks.
Here’s the trick: the window is just long enough to establish a new ritual.
To create meaningful, lasting change you must create rituals. That doesn’t necessarily mean doing the same things all the time, but it does mean having a certain time for doing a type of thing.
If you want to lose weight, you know you need to walk on that treadmill for 30 minutes every day, and you’ll damn well do it too, because that’s your ritual. It’s just what you do. You do it when you’re busy. You do it in the hospital. You do it unless you’re dead. You just do it, until it’s done.
And when you’re all done just doing your ritual, then you win. You make the change you want, you get the result you want.
So think about why you read my blog. You want something. You want to change something about your life. What is it?
Now ask yourself: what ritual do you have in place, right now, today, that is bringing you closer to the change you want?
(Hint: if you don’t have even one ritual, then you’re just jerking off. What are you going to do about it?)
YES!!! Oh man this post is amazing. This is how I’ve achieved mostly everything I have achieved in life. THERE IS (ALMOST) NO EXCEPTION to your daily rituals…none! This is how I achieved full front and side splits within 1 year time..I have a morning routine with reading, light meditation, and stretching, an evening routine with meditation and brain training, and a night routine with journaling.
With this, I would like to add to your point. IT CAN BE DONE! I am attached to medical equipment 24 hours a day, and have severe Crohn’s Disease, yet through these daily routines I have surpassed mine+everyone elses expectations. I plan to do this for as long as I live.
Thank you very much, Pete!
Josh Lipovetsky.
Josh Lipovetsky´s last [type] ..The Real Story Interview Series 1 – Tim Brownson
You’re an inspiration, Josh, thanks for telling your story.
Everything I have that’s worth having, I got by sticking with things, even when it was impossible. It sounds like you’re similar 8)
ps. Nice job on the splits 8)
Josh, I am a research scientist who works on human milk and I want to let you know that there are labs all over the world doing the splits to find a treatment for Crohn’s
You made my whole day!
Will
I love the “jerking off” YOu tell it like it is..for sure. So yesterday, after putting off joining weigthwatchers for the 100th time ..I went and joined. Then I went home and signed up for Etools to track everything that goes in my pie hole. Now everyday, I will write in that journal..my ritual.
I LOVE it, Mary! You made my day, I’m grinning ear to ear. Is there a way I can watch your progress, or is it a private tool?
You got that right, Pete! You can read all the blogs/books/workout plans/diet programs, and whatever else, but unless you actually do it, nothing will happen. Great reminder!
Tom Meitner´s last [type] ..Use Your Pain To Fuel Your Fire
Hi Pete
No way to watch the transformation but I will keep you updated. Its going great so far and as long as I continue the ritual of tracking what food goes into my body..I will succeed. Etools is a great reality check.
mart
Two weeks in and 4 lbs down..joined a gym and working out every day since I joined…its my ritual. I must go every day and stay for 1 hour..and do minimum of 30 minutes of cardio at a heart rate of 130 bpm.
I’m proud of you! The thing I love about what you wrote is that you have action-oriented goals instead of outcome oriented goals. You can choose to take actions, but you can’t always control the outcomes… so it’s awesome you’re focusing on what is in your control and as a result you’re getting the results you want!
[...] found the beginnings of a solution about a week ago, but I only formulated it on Monday. I read an article about forming rituals — things you do every day without thinking because doing it will help you reach a goal. The [...]