Select Page

Our day to day working life can be compared to running on an athletics track.

What do I mean?

The athletics track represents our daily workday. We run on the track with either a passion for running (our work) or with grunting, huffing and puffing because the run (our work) is a hard slog.

The experience and our performance on the track (our work day) depends on the rituals we practise.

 What’s a ritual?

The dictionary definition of a ritual is: any formal act, institution, or procedure that is followed consistently.

So a ritual is anything you do consistently, either consciously or unconsciously whether it’s an attitude, belief, process, procedure, thinking, response or reaction.

 So what?

Let me explain it this way, Mohamed Farah won gold at the London Olympics for the 5,000m and 10,000m run – Not easy, right?

Do you think the people who even made it to the Olympics had a totally different set of rituals than those who didn’t even get selected? Do you think those who made it to get to the finals to be able to compete in the 5,000 and 10,000m race had a different set of rituals? And finally, do you think Mohamed Farah had a different set of rituals to absolutely everyone else for him to have won?

For sure.

SO this is how your rituals are either helping or hindering you

What are your rituals before your workday begins?  Because these rituals will either mean a fast purposeful run on the track (your work day) or one where the track seems soooo long and its gonna be a hard slog (workday).

Is hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock- a ritual for you, eating toast on the run as you hurriedly run out the door to get in your car, drive to work and frantically look for a car park at your destination a ritual for you? What rituals separate someone on a mission and purpose like Mohamed , to those who are just ‘cruising’ in their work?

How do i get my Mojo back

When you feel your energy, motivation or inspiration levels drowning and you don’t have the fire in you for the run on the track  – pay close attention to what you do not just once in a while but consistently – (your rituals, either physically or mentally) your attitudes,  beliefs, processes, procedures, thinking, responses, and reactions that’s making the experience on the track  feel like a hard slog.

What ritual do you go through when things don’t go quite right at work or before work? What’s your ritual when you wake up, when you go to sleep, during the day, when things turn out as you planned at work, or when they don’t turn out? What are your inner voice rituals in the morning – do you quietly say “oh fudge, betta get up” or “woohoo so much to do”, what do you say to yourself during the day at work, what do you consistently think about at work, who do you talk to and what about consistently – how are these rituals affecting you at work?

When Mohamed was in the race and there were people in front of him, what words, thinking, thoughts, beliefs (ritual) do you think he trained himself to go through consistently in his head for him to lead  on the track- and then to make a win for himself on the day?

Home- run message – plain and simple

Whether the track (your work) gives you a ‘boohoo’ or a ‘woohoo’ feeling, be your own coach, unravel the mystery and the affect your rituals have on you to unlock the triggers that will excel your performance.