Willpower doesn’t last - rituals do
It seems at this time of year that almost everybody is into some kind of fitness regime, diet plan or giving up a bad habit they want to conquer.
January is a month for re-focusing on what we want for the year ahead and so can be a great time for setting goals no matter how big or small they are. Of course we can do this at anytime of year not just January, each day is an opportunity to start again. The reason why it’s important to have a goal for ourselves is really to give us something to aim for so as to not just drift along aimlessly. There’s no need to feel overwhelmed either by the idea of setting yourself a goal, it can be something as simple as doing five minutes more exercise each day or reading a book to something big like running a marathon or changing careers. The important thing is setting one. I’m sure you can think of something right now that you would like to change or do differently this year. Spend some time on yourself, with a pen and paper and explore what areas of your life you would like to improve for example, your relationships, your body, your career or your finances. Be specific about it and honest also. This is the fun part because it can be exciting and actually writing it down will make it seem more real. Once you know what it is you want to improve then you can set about achieving it and putting it into action. Think of something that you are always talking about improving or changing. Maybe now is the time to go from conversation to action. The next thing to take a look at is what are the rituals that have kept you where you are? Write down what it is you do on a daily basis that keeps you where you are and if you’re not sure what they are ask a family member or friend, they will be sure to tell you! Look at how good you are at doing those rituals and if you can do it for those you can create new ones. Once you are clear on what they are, you can then work out what are the rituals that will you get to where you want to be? What would you need to do differently everyday to get what you want? Is it to exercise more, to make more of an effort with a loved one, to learn a new skill or whatever it is for you? A ritual is something you do consistently everyday and comes second nature to you. The reason why willpower doesn’t last is because it is dependent on our emotions which can be up and down but rituals can last a lifetime as they are almost programmed into us. Once you know what it is you have to do differently each day, take small steps at first until you get used to doing them, and before long you will start to build momentum. The end result will be that you create in your life daily rituals that benefit you because it’s not what we get that makes us happy in life but who we become.
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Weather for Clonmel
Saturday 19 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 5 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North east
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Temperature: 6 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
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