The word ‘routine’, at first, doesn’t sound really appealing.
The simple act of doing the same repetitive thing, every single day, doesn’t make it attractive at all.
But what about ‘rituals’ ? Rituals are defined as series of actions or type of behaviour regularly and invariably followed. Positive habits making our day smooth and somehow productive. It’s all about everyday life, repetitive process which somehow can brings something powerful. I believe in the Art of Rituals. What about you?
Recently I have been reading a lot of articles about rituals and habits. From “The 10 most productive habits” to “The top 5 rituals of productive people” kind of article. Yet, I have not find what I was looking for. Somehow I was expecting something different.
I’ve been reading a book about Rituals of famous artists and creators. This book is titled Daily Rituals and it’s written by Mason Currey. It’s about all rituals process of the biggest legendary and well known creators of all time, from Mozart to Kafka. Reading it made me realise that there is no one fit all solution formula. Sure you can get inspired by others and their own rituals. But it’s also all about being present to your own path and who you truly are.
This quote from Mason Currey show the power of an everyday ritual :
“A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove for one’s mental energies and helps stave off the tyranny of moods.”
― Mason Currey
Sometimes, the repetitive action if it’s a positive one, can be very beneficial for ourselves.
But it’s also crazy how artists can differ from each other, here is an example from Jean Paul Sartre (French philosopher), John Adams (composer) and Louise Bourgeois (French-American artist).
“One can be very fertile without having to work too much. Three hours in the morning. Three hours in the evening. This is my only rule.”
– Jean-Paul Sartre
“My experience has been that most really serious creative people I know have very, very routine and not particularly glamorous work habits.”
– John Adams
“I now have 110 drawing-diary pages, but I’ll probably destroy some. I refer to these diaries as ‘tender compulsions.”
“I work like a bee and feel that I accomplish little.”
– Louise Bourgeois
If you are interested, I’m sharing here the infographic of the daily routines of famous people inspired from this book.
For the record, here are my Daily Rituals. My five morning rituals …
* Flowers : this is not daily since I buy my flowers once a week depend on how long they last… Buying flowers and having them everyday on my desk is a true ritual. It definitely light and colour my day!
* Meditation : this truly made a biggest change in my life. As important as hygienic basics needs (shower and tooth brushing) 🙂
* Yoga / any type of exercice : showing up is enough! Jogging, dancing, a simple long walk in the park.
* Morning Tea : Sencha or Pu-erh, there are my two favourites.
* Writing : Letting go with what’s going on in my mind + Grateful thoughts and words for the day ahead
What about you, what are your daily rituals? Do you have some you would like to share?
