As entrepreneurs, we’re often in the throws of driven, anxious behavior. Our businesses require us to achieve — despite the emotional turmoil that whirls around us.
We’re expected to produce, create, build in spite of ours human selves.
We often don’t get emotional support from others because we keep to ourselves.
We simply don’t have the time.
The next fire is connecting to the crisis around the corner.
The reality is, difficulties will never disappear but we have an opportunity to take charge of challenges by designing personal and powerful rituals to help us regulate our emotions so life doesn’t always seem like an impossible challenge.
To create a ritual we need to first start by being aware.
George Mumford, the author of the Mindful Athlete describes this process of self-observation as follows:
Awareness
What values are important to you?
Acceptance
Acceptance requires vulnerability. Vulnerability is to allow the winds of life to blow freely over your soul. To let life in, on life’s own terms.
Action
In order to change you need to take authentic action based on values that you treasure
Assessment
Time to reflect. How are you doing? How are you feeling? What progress have you made?
—
What feelings do you conjure up on a frequent basis?
Is it anxiety? Anger? Apprehension?
For anxiety, can we design a ritual of lighting a candle, or taking a long walk in nature?
For anger, can we design a ritual of exercise and strength training to shake off the excess energy?
For apprehension, can we reach out to a friend and share a cup of tea?
My personal rituals include a deliberate practice of gratitude, forgiveness, and creativity:
- Gratitude Ritual – I write in my abundance journal and put a price tag on all the things I am grateful for, I send a handwritten thank you note with my red Le Pen on personalized notepaper.
- Forgiveness Ritual – This protocol includes taking a large sheet of paper, drawing a circle, putting the name of the person I want to forgive at the top, and writing all the negative things down, I then listen to a forgiveness meditation that I learned from Dr. Maria Nemeth at the Mastering Life’s Energies Course. See the video below for the FRIEND code if you’re interested in taking this workshop! It’s incredible!
- Creativity Ritual – I listen to my Sacred music playlist on Spotify, read Rumi, or play the piano.
The beauty of rituals, once you’ve made them a deliberate practice, is that you can connect to them at any time.
Be attentive to the activities that successfully support you during challenging times.
Whether I’m on the edge of uneasiness or on a diet of disquiet, I find meaning when I turn my attention towards rituals.
Give yourself the gift of ritual.
With time, a personal ritual can help you direct your focus to the positive qualities you choose.
Xoxo
Kalika