Are you aware :: how to bubble up more joy in life?

Let’s get controversial :: are you happy?

What brings you overwhelming joy?

Are you intentionally spending time doing it?

How can we bubble up more joy in life?

[Build] Ritual

Developing habits and routine are healthy, our way to check things off our to-do’s that feels good, a sense of accomplishment.

The variance between these and ritual is the deeper root.

Anything that we do that’s special to us, has meaning that we intentionally make time and space - building into every day, every week, every month - in feeling … living better!

Pro tip :: we’ll recognize we have ritualized something if we feel off when something gets in the way. 

The research shows the best way - is doing a ritual in service of something else…

Think, ritualizing :: 

• coffee or tea

• workout or walk

• journaling or meditation

making space and time to feel, live better in order to serve at our highest level (or what we can give that particular day) .

When rituals are done right, science proves they ::

• expand our capacity for time

• expand our capacity for change

Nerd tip :: rituals help regulate our brains' negative response to failure or errors - dampening the experience so we become more resilient and promptly able to move forward.

So, how do we even get started?

(1) Inventory what we’re already doing daily or weekly that is driving meaning for us. (eg :: sunshine / movement / meditation)

The awareness enriches our experience more.

(2) What areas in life do we think we could use enhancement?

(eg :: nervous - anxious / hard on self - negative / grief - guilt - regret)

Develop a ritual that improves well-being; some well known examples are ::

• writing negative emotions on a piece of paper - then burning, allowing those emotions to disintegrate into ash

• Bill Belichick burying a football in front of the team - symbolizing leaving that part of the season behind them

• dancing like no one’s watching to reset our nervous system

Remember, rituals are subjective - something that adds meaning to your life won’t necessarily be the same for another human - and that’s OKAY - find your way!

When we are taking care of ourselves first, we have capacity to support all those we care about personally + professionally waaaaaay better!

Start small :: give ritualizing (1) thing a shot - experience how it lightens your life!