Routine or Ritual

By Betty Mahalik

We all have dozens of routines we go through daily, and for the most part, we do them with a blind unconsciousness that is sometimes startling. Here are some examples: You get up, make and drink your morning coffee completely oblivious that a new day has dawned. You drive to work and upon arriving, ask yourself how you got there. You remember none of it. You make a meal, do an exercise routine, read the paper or pay your bills...all without paying more than a sliver of attention...just enough to get the job done and sometimes, avoid injury.

And what about those routines you go through at work...answering a phone call, dealing with a client's needs or coaching a staff member. Sadly we often do those things without being conscious as well. The results: we end up making more mistakes, and often, leave ourselves, our customers, co-workers and staff members dissatisfied without really knowing why. It's no wonder so many of us come to a certain point in life and ask ourselves, "Is that all there is?" And yet the quest for "more" never satisfies for more than a few short hours or days either.

But I've rediscovered recently that any routine can be transformed into a ritual, and by doing so, it is possible to transform what seems quite ordinary into the something extraordinary. And that, as the poet said, "makes all the difference."

Just what is a ritual and what difference can it make in your life--personal or professional? By definition, a ritual is a set of practices that usually has religious meaning. The approach to them is intentionally reverent. In our daily lives, a ritual can be anything we choose to bring an attitude of conscious reverence to. Have you ever watched how the traditional Japanese or British ritualize the drinking of tea. Tea is not simply a drink to be consumed so you can get the caffeine boost you need to hurry up and get on with your day. Drinking tea is a very special part of the day, and because the preparation and presentation of the tea is as significant as its consumption, tea drinking takes on a very different spirit for those who do it routinely.

Now imagine for a moment going through the motions of handling a customer issue with the kind of attention to detail, focus, and presence the Japanese or British bring to their tea rituals.
Imagine preparing and eating meals with that conscious awareness of having a "sacred" experience instead of rushing through mindlessly to get on with the next thing. Imagine exercising and staying present to the incredibly complex series of motions our bodies go through in performing even a simple movement, instead of being hooked up to an iPod or TV set to "distract" us from the experience. Just imagine...

This week I invite you to experiment with creating some rituals for yourself. Pick an activity that you do "routinely" and see if you can transform it into a ritual. Pay attention to how you feel before, during and after performing it. For help in how to transform even the most mundane chores (think paying bills, doing laundry, driving to work) into a ritual, consult Alexandra Stoddard's book, Living a Beautiful Life.

I'm convinced that if we could bring even a fraction more awareness and reverence to our daily routines, thereby creating more rituals for ourselves, that life for many of us would take on a freshness, a beauty, a fullness we can hardly imagine.

Start right now: print this out, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, pause to savor the experience of it all, and begin creating a ritual out of a routine. And as always, enjoy the journey!
Betty

--------------------Quote of the Week:--------------------"Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point." ~~Harold B. Melchart
Betty Mahalik has been coaching small business owners, independent professionals and leaders who want to achieve more but stress less, since 1996. Her background includes several years in the broadcasting and public relations fields prior to starting her own firm in 1987. She is an accomplished public speaker and corporate trainer specializing in communications, goal-setting and leveraging your strengths. Since 2001, she has written a weekly motivational message, free to subscribers, titled Monday Morning Coach. To subscribe go to: http://www.dynamic-coaching.com

Do You Want Big Shoulders With A Dumbell Workout Routine?

By Jim Wolchak

This article will give information on a dumbbell workout and give you a shoulder workout that will meet your needs. Consider this a free workout plan that you can have as an arsenal of information that you definitely want to keep for a while. You will receive information on what well defined shoulders will do for your physique and give you a workout tip that will help you reach your goals.

Having a weight loss workout using weight training is one of the best strategies that you can use. You and thousands of others use the same basic techniques and that's why there's a lot of information that you can use to your benefit.

Is there a best chest workout? This implies that there is one workout available for you. Whether it is a man workout or a woman workout each of us is individually crafted and that requires individual attention and separate exercises that we should use. I can only specify general guidelines and the focus and concentration is left up to you. How bad do you want it is something I cannot stress enough.

Whether you use a dumbbell workout or a circuit training workout there is no quick fix for results that you are looking for.

If you do become consistent and follow your training plan and diet regimen you will be rewarded with shoulders that will make you look like a professional bodybuilder. Coupled with a diet plan, well developed large shoulders will make your waist look smaller and your entire upper chest and shoulders look fabulous. As well as keeping you healthy and injury free releasing yourself to participate in sports without having seconds thoughts on injuring yourself.

Some dumbbell workout exercises to use. Here are a couple of basic dumbbell exercises that you can start doing to get your shoulders big. I must state that before any of these exercises you need to warm up. In fact, when starting any type of workout program routine warming up the muscles is mandatory in order to get the best workout and to prevent injuries from happening to you.

Dumbbell shoulder presses works the deltoids and upper parts of your shoulders. Sit on a bench and make sure that your back is straight, holding two dumbbells just about shoulder level. You will have to experiment with the weight that you have here in order to get complete benefit at the end of your reps. Press the dumbbells weights straight up but don't lock your elbows at the highest point over your head. Complete this exercise by returning to the original position. Now if you are in a gym then you might be able to utilize a bench that has a back support, which is safer but if not make sure that you can handle the weight of the dumbbells.

Upright rows exercises work the deltoids and biceps.

Stand with your feet spread, hold the barbell with an overhand grip in front of your body. Now by keeping the barbell close to your body lift the weight to mid-chest level. Complete the exercise by returning back to the starting position. Remember you will have to experiment once again with the weight that you feel comfortable with. Use this initial weight as a benchmark and use this weight until you can get your reps to 12 without exhaustion.

At that time you will need to use more weight to make you shoulders grow.

This article has given information on a dumbbell workout that you could employ at home with just enough knowledge to get started. After you start seeing results then you could just get more involved within yourself and plan out your next workout program routine and make it the best abs workout that you can muster.

Jim's website helps people get a fast track in establishing a workout routine. Whether it's a exercise ball routine or any other type routine you can find the information that you need at his website http://www.bestworkoutguide.com