One of the blogs I read everyday is by Seth Godin. He's the master of the short and sweet blog post that you will inevitably carry around with you all day, chewing on it like a piece of gum that refuses to lose it's flavor. (and he never seems to miss a day) Today's post is no exception. Here's the hook: "Your audacious life goals are fabulous. We're proud of you for having them. But it's possible that those goals are designed to distract you from the thing that's really frightening you--the shift in daily habits that would mean a re-invention of how you see yourself."
How often do we look for the big shift, the magic bullet, the life-changing experience that will mean everything after that is so much easier? Sometimes a catalyst is essential. This is what ritual is for, and always has been. But it doesn't mean that after you spend the three nights on the mountain without food or water, meet your spirit guides and find a flawless quartz crystal half buried in the dirt right where you were digging your fire pit that you go back home, flip on American Idol, open a beer and a bag Cheezits and expect your new life to walk through the door. It's about showing up. Every day. Even when it's boring or scary (and which do you prefer?). The rituals are there to sustain you when it gets hard, not to hand you a life on a platter. They help us mark milestones, they don't deliver them.
The good news is that we all get to make choices everyday. When we truly understand this, about every aspect of our lives, then each day becomes a little more interesting. Who do you want to be? What do you want from your time here? How will you create this? We all get feeling stuck sometimes, and that can be a cozy place to hang out because it means we don't have to do anything. Almost always there is something we can do to make a shift. We can make a plan, then make a list, then do the stuff on the list.
Me? Today I'm drinking water. (OK, I'm drinking water with some red juice in it because plain water, especially first thing in the morning, makes me nauseous) I don't drink enough water, and I'm going to change that and see what happens. See, it doesn't have to be earth-shattering. That's the point. Baby steps.