Ritual vs. Routine: What’s The Difference?

If you’re like me you love a good checklist, and even more so you love checking something off that checklist. Check, check, check, all day long!

What’s the downside of a checklist?

It’s simply living each day going through a series of the same motions repeatedly, often without being fully present. When we are not fully present in our lives, we miss the opportunity to experience life at a deeper level, to feel the full range of emotions, and to be open to experience the miracles and blessings that life has for us each day. I call this the treadmill of life.

Are you ready to jump off the treadmill and fully experience each moment of your life?

If you answered yes, then keep reading and get ready to incorporate rituals into your daily life! You may have heard of a morning routines or nighttime routines, but I want to share with you this idea of rituals instead.

Routine vs. Ritual

So, what’s the difference between ritual vs. routine anyway? A routine is just another checklist item that you can work through mindlessly. On the other hand, a ritual is when you can experience life one moment at a time, with deep intention, using as many of your five senses as possible. To put it another way, a ritual provides energy and enjoyment to your life and is backed with intention and meaning. Rituals are internally motivated, where routines are often externally motivated.

I practice a variety of rituals throughout my day to ensure that I am staying intentional, focused, peaceful, and high vibe. A few of my favorite rituals are:

1. MORNING RITUAL: I begin my day with journaling and 20oz of filtered water with Lemonade Ultima Electrolytes. I like to start my day this way because overnight we have been fasting while we are sleeping and need to hydrate our cells first thing- yes, even before coffee! Journaling also helps me set my intentions for the day and stay focused on my goals and dreams.
   
   
2. TRANSITION RITUAL: This is a ritual I do between activities in my day. I work from home, so when my workday is done, I like to go for a walk outside in nature to decompress and naturally build my high vibe energy again. This helps me be fully present for those that I love in the evening versus being totally wiped out from a long workday.
   
   
3. EVENING RITUAL: I love ending my day caring for my body and my mind. For years I neglected mobility and stretching within my exercise regimen. I find that instead of sitting on the couch at night reading or watching TV, I break out my yoga mat and stretch for 20 minutes. Not only does this help me wind down and get relaxed before bed, but it has helped me with my mobility and training in the gym too! Then, prior to bed I love to give gratitude for my day and celebrate what I co-created with the Universe for the day by writing in my journal again. Ending your day with positive thoughts allows your mind to be primed for the next morning when you wake up.

I encourage you to begin to incorporate rituals into your daily life but remember there is no right or wrong set of rituals to follow. Pick rituals that are meaningful to you and watch them be a catalyst to more focus, less stress, and more joy in your everyday life!

About Carmen Ohling:

Carmen Ohling is a holistic life coach, speaker, podcast host, and former corporate executive. She has served as an expert on many media outlets, such as: Fox News, Living Local and a variety of business, well-being, and women-centric podcasts. Carmen has traveled the world, as the founder of the Flow Academy (a holistic life coaching certification for leaders, coaches, and entrepreneurs) and the Permission Slip Retreat, to highlight critical issues for women and to create a better understanding about harnessing the authentic power that is inside each of us, to design a life we truly love.