I have 3 reminders on my IPhone that ding 3 different times throughout my day. They remind me to ponder a positive word or thought or to say my daily above-the-line mantra. All of this is to help me stay conscious, self-aware and responsible for not allowing any negative thinking to become a pattern.
These daily reminders are great tools to keep me focused energetically – if I would only pay attention, pause and contemplate when I hear the reminder ding. Many days, I find myself ignoring the reminder – too busy, oh, it’s just my reminder, I will think about it later. Even though it only takes a couple of minutes to pause, reflect and feel the positive energy created by the focused thought, I don’t consistently take the reflective moment.
I was reminded of my less effective use of rituals yesterday at lunch. My friend and Clarity client, Jon, is one of the most positive, effective and successful people I know. He is a very busy, active person and always has a lot of work on his plate. And, yet he also spends a serious amount of time every day nurturing his spiritual, positive energy.
He showed me the notes and reminders he has on his smart phone. Where my reminder says, “ponder word”, his reminder has the specific words or positive thoughts he wants to focus upon. He also showed me the notes he takes during the few minutes he spends doing this thought ritual. He’s committed to the process because he knows that his financial success, his relationship success and his spiritual growth depend on his daily reflections. He begins his day with other rituals before he even gets out of bed.
My amazingly, always positive, grounded wife, Cathy is another example of the power of rituals to monitor and sustain effective thought energy. She not only designed the several Clarity systems and tools to serve as guiding, daily rituals for the rest of us, she uses them and other personal rituals every day. She also performs specific personal rituals before she gets out of bed in the morning.
Twenty years ago, I knew a Buddhist couple who were also very grounded, always positive people. I used to somewhat disparagingly say that they never saw a ritual they didn’t like. It took many more years before I recognized the difference between rituals that spiritually stimulate versus the unconscious rituals that were part of my daily negativity.
I’m beginning to see a pattern here. Daily, meaningful, thoughtful, personal rituals serve the user by having them step away from their daily activities to reflect, reframe, rejuvenate, and reconnect with their internal driving spirit. This focused consciousness is what helps them stay grounded, positive and more effective in their lives.
Recommitting to my rituals,
Gary
