A successful lawyer who achieved everything most people could ever wish for, suffered a wicked heart attack in the middle of a packed courtroom. From the outside, Julian Mantle was living a superstar lifestyle, but truth be told he was constantly under a tremendous amount of stress, becoming overweight and sick and tired – of being sick and tired.
This ultimately led him onto a journey to seek answers in the Himalayan mountains.
The lessons we share with you, derive from “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari“, a global best seller written by Robin Sharma.
Even after 18 years since the first edition was published, the brilliant spiritual wisdom and principles have and will continue to inspire millions of people around the world.
Here are the ten rituals of radiant living strategies:
1. Solitude
“It is a period of time, as little as fifteen minutes or as much as fifty, wherein you explore the healing power of silence and come to know who you really are”
Nowadays we are surrounded with an abundance of digital technology many people carry around like a pet on a leash. Everything seems to be ‘urgent‘ with notifications like social media updates and emails.
Take some time out daily, to find a feeling of balance and clarity in your day to day activities – make it into a routine by practising same time and place.
2. Physicality
“As you take care for the body, so you care for the mind. As you prepare your body, so you prepare your mind. As you train your body, so you train your mind.”
Investing time in some form of vigorous exercise will not only help you look great in the mirror but it is also great for health and vitality.
It’s no coincidence people who look after their bodies are usually the ones who show no signs of slowing down.
3. Nourishment
“A poor diet has a pronounced effect on your life. It drains your mental and physical energy. It affects your mood, and it hampers the clarity of your mind.”
These days nutrition is more confusing than ever before. Without going into any dogmas and extremism, we should simply focus a majority of our diet (meaning: way of living) around quality wholesome foods with essential nutrients to nourish our body.
Unless you have medical issues, having a piece of cake or drinking some alcohol may turn a few heads around but this quote sums it up nicely:
“One must live in moderation and do nothing to extremes.”
4. Abundant Knowledge
“Read regularly. Reading for thirty minutes a day will do wonders for you. But I must caution you. Do not read just anything. You must be selective about what you put into the lush garden of your mind. It must be immensely nourishing. Make it something that will improve both you and the quality of your life.”
One major mistake many people make is choosing to read books that will temporarily make them feel good, and the only ‘action’ taken is hunting for another one; a vicious cycle.
Reading the right books can be life changing, only through application to manifest its power.
Read, study and apply.
5. Personal Reflection
“Well, most of us do think. The problem is that most people think just enough to survive. What I am speaking about with this ritual is thinking enough to thrive.”
From experience, it’s easy to get into an auto-pilot routine and get frustrated when things don’t change; be it life or career.
Leaving ego aside, it’s recommended to reflect back on your day to measure what you did, and to have a benchmark on making immediate improvements gearing towards whatever you’re striving for.
6. Early Awakening
“First, let me ask you what does ‘early’ mean?” Another fine question. There is no ideal time. Just like everything else I have shared with you so far, do what is right for you.”
Everyone is different. Some are more creative in the morning; some work better in the afternoon and others are night owls. However, the benefit of waking up early is the perfect way to start the day well so you can focus on getting a few important things done before everyone else gets out of bed.
Here is Robin Sharma’s 5 Ways to wake up early so that you can run the day.
7. Music
“When you feel down or weary, play some music. It is one of the finest motivators I know of.”
Believe it or not, listening to Disney’s Frozen instrumental on repeat whilst writing this article helped limit distractions, say no to procrastination and stay fully engaged on the task ahead.
But remember, taking ‘action‘ is the number one key, that most people forget. When you have a hundred and one things going on around you, then you can’t stay laser-focused on the task at hand.
A little chilled music in the background is a great way to keep the vibe and flow going.
8. Spoken Word
“A mantra is nothing more than a collection of words strung together to create a positive effect.”
In Sanskrit, ‘man’ means ‘mind’ and ‘tra’ means ‘freeing’.
According to a meta analysis by NCBI:
“Deploying self-affirmation inductions alongside persuasive health information has positive effects, promoting message acceptance, intentions to change, and subsequent behaviour.”
It is truly remarkable how our minds work, and can go either way depending on how we control our daily thoughts.
Many athletes are encouraged to use this tool before stepping out in the limelight.
9. Congruent Character
“Strengthening your character affects the way you see yourself and the action you take. The actions you take, come together to form your habits and, this is important, your habits lead you to your destiny.”
As we grow older, being yourself becomes harder with external distractions and constant expectations from people around you. Be careful not to lose track of who you are and what do you want to represent. It’s great to be inspired by other people but at the end of the day, there is only one of you.
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it” – Bruce Lee
10. Simplicity
“One must not live in the thick of thin things.”
Many people are good at being busy, but not great at being productive.
Without focusing on the priorities, you’ll be constantly running around like a headless chicken. Prevent the risk of overwhelm and paralysis. Reduce the need of urgency for everything, and pay attention to the essentials that is meaningful and will help you grow as an exceptional person.
This summary the rituals is just amazing. I have been thinking on how to apply but now I see it clarer
I am on a path of being transformed after reading the article. i do agree that it does not need me to become a duplicate of someone. i will continue to read, study and apply good and motivational books.
Glad this article has made an impact on your Abigail.
Remember: one step at a time, stay consistent and revert back to this whenever you feel out of sight.
This is an outstanding article. These 10 Rituals can help anyone in the long run once you put you mind to what you want to achieve.
I definitely shared this one on my twitter! It’s great! So much of it is actually very similar to what I said on my blog today! I created a post called the 10 Commandments of Thine Own Self. I am constantly seeing this nourishment business and I know I need to keep up on that. I need discipline! I love that it was mentioned. My favorite is he part of self reflecting. I think that is huge!
Good on you Desiree, thanks for sharing this with us and for sharing the article with your followers 🙂
Thanks for sharing Desiree. I’m glad you enjoyed this article and appreciate Joel for setting up this amazing platform for someone like myself to share my writing.
Nourishment to me is one of the most important rituals. I find that when I eat the right foods I feel great and have the energy I need to take it to the next level. A simple way is to have a green juice once a day. There are thousands of recipes out there on how to make them, but it will change your state.
Have learnt now strategies of living a great life of purpose and achievement. It takes one to STOP living old habits and START living new ways which lead to excellence. I am inspired!