Do you have daily rituals? I mean, aside from eating, sleeping, watching TV, and all of the other daily activities that find their way into your mere existence. Do you have on-purpose, pre-planned activities that you employ to keep you on a desired and chosen track? If you do, that’s great, kudos to you. If you don’t, success is not in your future. Let me repeat that. If you don’t, success is not in your future.
No one achieves meaningful success without discipline. Discipline is the hallmark of winners. Doing specific things daily to help you achieve, is discipline. The challenge for many of us though, is this…discipline is a dirty word. When I use the word discipline in a word association exercise in my seminars, around 90% of the responses refer to negative or unpleasant experiences. To most of us, discipline is not something we look forward to. Why, because it requires us to leave our comfort zone. I’m not sure, but I’ll bet that the 10% or so who associate the word discipline with something positive or valuable are successful goal achievers.
To give yourself an edge in achieving your goals and success, try this morning Goal Habit. It’s a process that requires just a little bit of “very first thing in the morning” time. I call this my AM ritual. Actually, I pour a cup of coffee first, then I sit in my favorite spot and do the following:
- 10 minutes of prayer or meditation
- 10 minutes reviewing/adjusting my day’s schedule and to-do list
- 10 minutes (or more, depending on the day) reading positive/motivational material
Start with just one of the items if you must. Adjust it in any way that is best you, but remember, for this to work it must absolutely become an everyday thing, a Goal Habit. I have found that the specific order that I have listed the three items is the most beneficial. If you miss a day, or a bunch of days, start again…and again…and again. It can eventually become an anticipated and automatic AM ritual for you, as it has for me. When it does, you will have an on-purpose, pre-planned activity that you employ to help keep you on your desired and chosen track. Kudos to you!
Enjoy today.
Accomplish today.
Tomorrow is promised to no one!
Paul Sutherland
