It’s 5:30 AM, I put on my workout clothes; walk outside my Manhattan apartment and hail a taxi for the ride to the nearest fitness club; workout for two hours” - Twyla Tharp
Rituals are everything. Twyla is regarded as one of the greatest dancers and choreographers in the modern era.
So it makes sense we should be able to take something from her insights?
She credits her success to her daily rituals which have become habits. The most important part of the morning is not the two-hour workout but rather getting outside to get a cab part of the habit.
“Once I tell the driver where to go, I have completed my ritual.” It takes out any of the guesswork required and minimizes the chance the workout would be skipped. This is just one of the many habits/routines she has in her toolkit. -Twyla Tharp
Our Challenge
Often the struggle comes with deciding things each day. Some days are easier than others and we can easily decide on what to do but there are days when things just seem off track. On top of that trying to create a new habit requires effort even on the days when there is no effort to give.
The surprising insight is motivation comes after the action. In the case of Twyla, it’s getting into the cab headed to finish the workout.
“Getting started is a form of active inspiration that naturally produces momentum” - James Clear
Use it in Action
Use the 2-Minutes Rule to make full use of Newton’s First Law. If you might need a refresher then here it is below.
Newton's first law: An object at rest remains at rest, or if in motion, remains in motion at a constant velocity unless acted on by a net external force.
When trying to change or implement a habit ask yourself what’s the simplest ritual can I set up to make this as easy as possible?
Here are some examples to help you figure out your own:
Being more creative: Follow a creative ritual before drawing, writing, playing instruments. This can mean you do a typing test to get warmed up in the flow of writing or practice scales for 2 minutes to get yourself in the zone.
Starting each day with more focus: Use a morning routine. This can include wake-up → journaling and meditating → glass of water → check phone.
Improving Sleep: Follow a winding down routine. This can be done to set up the correct lighting and temperature for the room. Make sure no devices are used 30-minutes before sleep. Have a book near the bedside table for easy access to reading.
It’s making these small changes over time that make the difference. Break the habit starting time to under 2 minutes and you increase the probability of having more days with completing the habit. Whatever that might look like for you.
What are some habits you’re looking to implement more of and how will this help that habit become a reality?
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. The support provides a chance for greater serendipity.
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Favorite Finds 🌱🌱
This is a great TED talk on how to sound smart in talks. It’s honestly about nothing. No, it is about nothing but at the same time so much about something.
The Top Five Regrets of the Dying - Bronnie Ware
Bronnie worked as a palliative care nurse for a long time around a decade or so ago wrote a piece explaining and sharing what she learned from the patients about life.
Why I wrote The Top Five Regrets of the Dying
In 2009, I wrote an online article called Regrets of the Dying about my time as a palliative carer. Working with dying people and developing close relationships with them during their last weeks changed me forever. To honor their wisdom and life-parting requests, I wrote this article.
Very unexpectedly, the article gained multiple millions of views worldwide. Requests poured in as people asked me to share more of my life and how to apply the wisdom I’d been bequeathed, and so my journey began.
These pages hold raw and honest conversations about life and death, including what my patients wished they’d done differently. It also shares my journey of transformation, as I mastered the tools needed to ensure I didn’t end up with the same anguish and heartache of regret that I was witnessing. No one wants to experience that, including you.
May you use my patients’ wisdom as an encouragement to fully experience the life you deserve, one embracing fulfillment.
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If you’re new on the journey, welcome aboard! 👋🏾 Have a great week! 📅 Let’s keep building! 🚀 ✨ Let’s be friends ✨