You’ve probably heard the most effective way to reach your goals: Define the goal, then create a habit to support it. Make it a regular routine.

Want to get stronger and fitter? Create a routine where you leave your shoes beside the bed so you can hit the gym in the morning.

Want to eat healthier? Create a routine where you plan your weekly meals so it’s easy to make healthy homemade food every day.

Want to feel great and be productive every day? Create a morning routine so you start each day in your optimal state.

Routines and habits work because they remove the decision. You don’t have to decide if you’re going to the gym, you just go, because it’s your routine. They make your default behavior, the one that leads to success.

Routines and habits work really well. And they feel a bit like eating bran flakes for breakfast. 

You know what I mean … Bran flake cereal. You know it’s good for you*, but it’s not exciting or inspiring. You eat it out of obligation and a sense of “doing something good for yourself”, but it doesn’t really FEEL good, indulgent, joyful when you’re doing it, right? It’s just functional. Something a responsible person would do.

(*Let’s not start a discussion about whether bran flakes are healthy or not, ok? It’s just an example.)

Supercharge Your Routines by Reframing Them

Routine. What comes to mind when I say that word?

Habits. Something you do over and over again. Rote. Boring. Dull. Obligation. Good for you, but not that exciting.

Now, what comes to mind with the word ritual?

Magical. Sacred. Nourishing. Indulgent. Sparks curiosity. Sounds exciting, and a bit mysterious. 

When you reframe your routines as rituals, the whole energy around them shifts.

Suddenly it’s not something you HAVE to do, it’s something you GET to do.
Simply doing a ritual is an act of self-care.

The components can be the same, but the intention behind them are different.

Suddenly the series of actions you do regularly becomes infused with magic, mystery, positivity, self-love, and nourishment. 

This simple mental reframe weaves self-care and magic into your everyday life.

And that feels a whole lot better than just waking up and eating bran flakes because you know it’s good for you.

Try it and tell me how it works for you.

What’s one routine you could reframe as a ritual?