Power of Rituals

How many times have we loathed people who had strange religious rituals which we think are weird? Rituals (including those you don’t connect to) are only the means to a greater end. Every one uses tools and resources to evolve as a perfect human at his own pace - establishing rituals is one such powerful approach. Ritual simply means doing an act regularly in a certain way at a certain time – without exceptions.
Will power and self-discipline aren’t found in abundance – every one has those to an extent. We should use those optimally and for rest of the key activities “rituals” should come in handy. Design rituals based on your goals and get out of the way. Results are ensured once rituals are imbibed. For instance, if having healthy life is your goal – going for a walk or running at 6 AM should be your ritual. You do this in an auto-pilot mode. Forming rituals is toughest in the initial phases as I am experiencing now!
Daily pressures and other seemingly important tasks come in the way. I am not sure yet how we solve this conundrum – but I believe we need to exercise our will-power initially to get this going. We must not give up despite initial set backs and even when it appears that we are chasing wild goose – because the results entail less exertion. But, when do you know that a ritual has been set?
It takes 21 days to form a habit – but I believe 40 contiguous days is an acceptance criterion for a ritual formation. By no means, I am suggesting blind obedience to superstitions or to those acts that violate moral conduct – serial killing is a serious ritual! Use your head and be true to your conscience when forming rituals – because they stick.

Better late than never....

It’s been almost 2 years since I wrote a blog entry – the longest hibernation I ever had. Life has been pacing through many crests, troughs, and plane paths at various speed; Busyness has become the bad spelling for my Business in these 2 years.

Nevertheless, I am resolving to write again and this time more frequently. Through this blog I will continue to reflect and share my thoughts, ideas, inspirations, and perspectives. This time it is about "relationships". I am definitely not an expert on this – neither a ideal theorist nor an effective practitioner – but a humble learner. And, here is what I learnt:

Relationships to me simply means sharing and caring - they are truest treasures one can ever cherish. Activities such as the following don’t have a substitute: Playing mediocre street cricket with old pals, recollecting bad old jokes with good friends, recounting heart-filled memories with close cousins; drinking, eating, laughing, crying out loud with the souls you most cherish; Making new friendships and relishing old ones are the true joys you can pass on to generations even in this facebook era! Reflecting your memories (both good and bad) and speaking your mind act like a tonic to your spirit.

Many people come and go in your life – but for some reason some people stick and leave an impression in your lives. Some are given (parents, siblings, relatives etc) and some are chosen – but all are worth sharing your life stories with and providing caring support. It is important to empathize and step in those people’s shoes to learn their perspectives – but, never be a phony to impress. Even at the risk of alienating certain folks – be always yourself by upholding your conscience in this glocalized world.

People who mind don’t matter and people who matter don’t mind. The latter are the folks who you wanna share your life’s journey with.

Au revoir,

Satish

P.S: On the other note, watch out for the new blog on “CIO Musings” that will be unveiled shortly; I like to share what I am learning and gleaning at work through this new blog.(even planning to write few papers that are under construction - only facts, metrics, and data around business-tech world that you wouldn’t find anywhere.)