The gift of routine
The other day someone told me on the phone:
’You always start projects and you have so many ideas, but you don’t follow through.’ That what triggers us, is almost always what is true. She touched upon something I have been trying to find my way around for so long. I have so many ideas, so much inspiration all the time, yet it is not often that I get to complete something. The moment my enthusiasm goes so does my perseverance to finish a project I started.
‘The moment my enthusiasm goes so does my perseverance to finish a project I started.‘
The thing I struggle most with is getting out of my head. I love this dreamy state I am often in, where ideas are never-ending and I get to see everything unfold in an effortless flow. Everything seems possible and magical within the comfort of my imagination.
On the other side, my mind is the most terrifying place too. It is the space where I fight with myself, where my worst-case scenarios unfold in an instant and endless cycle. Any therapist or astrologer I ever talked with, said this is the work I am here to do. To ground myself; to get out of my mind and back into my body. To live with my feet on the earth, instead of my head in the clouds.
After this person shared these thoughts with me, something opened for me. Even though I love this part about me, which is dreamy and airy-fairy, I want to be able to put things into physicality as well. Not only because I want to make a difference in this world, but also because I know this is where grounding truly happens. Grounding happens when we commit; when we persevere; when we bring discipline into our lives. Routines become our building stones to create all that we want. I know the calmness that overtakes me, whenever I have a stable morning routine for a while. Knowing that I will have this me-time in the morning, where I know which exact steps I will be taking, brings stability and peace.
‘Routines become our building stones to create all that we want.‘
For a very long time, I have believed there will be a point in my life, where suddenly the excitement for a project or a habit won’t leave like it always does, and I will be able to stick with something easily and effortlessly. Rather than waiting for this moment to come, I want to use my habits and discipline to bring stability to my life now. To have these physical things and routines which I can rely on. This means, Instead of having excitement be the main driving force, discipline and the desire for stability will be my reasoning.
I have written myself a morning routine, which I will be doing every single morning. Two parts of the routine include online meditation challenges, which to me feels like a great way to stay committed. All I have to do is to turn on the video of the challenge every day and follow the steps. After reading ‘atomic habits’ from James Clear about how we can create habits into our lives that stick, I understand the importance of ‘keeping score. To feel satisfied with our habits, we need to feel like we are overcoming ourselves and becoming who we want to be. In his book, he tells us to create a score-calendar for us to mark the commitment to our habits.
‘While our mind loves freedom, our body needs stability.‘
My Ayurvedic teacher used to tell us that while our mind loves freedom, our body needs stability. A truly balanced life brings in both elements. Not all fixed routine and not all free flow. We want to bring the grounding aspect of ritual and habit and the feeling of freedom that comes with spontaneity and spaciousness. Let us bring these pillars into our lives to root from, so we can feel safe to go out into this world and explore all the beauty there is to be experienced.
What kind of routines do you have in your life? Do you have a hard time grounding yourself? What is helpful for you? Comment down below!
Photo by Prophsee Journalson Unsplash
