I don’t like the word ‘rituals’. It has some weird meaning in Africa. However, among athletes, artists and musicians, rituals mean pre-game activities that help in boosting performance in field or stage. Or just lifestyle tweaks for maximum output at work. Some of them are truly funny like avoiding certain words, or days. It is scientific but also a bit uneasy. Here are some simple rituals you can try.
Meditation
Sportspeople do this a lot. However, people have different ideas of meditation, one of them is by smoking pot. These are layman because drugs are not allowed among athletes. 30-minute meditation in the morning can go a long way in helping you clear your thoughts and remain fresh for the day’s activity. There can be bad thoughts going through your mind unconsciously and with some meditation, you can let go of those toxic things and have a clear mind for the day.
Do you know how to meditate? Sit like a child, put your palms on your laps, close your eyes, focus on your breath as you inhale deeply in and out, capture a bad thought as you inhale and release it as you exhale. This is done best in the morning when you are still fresh. You will face the day a better person.
Celibating
You like sex don’t you? Well, if you want your next session to be steamier just forego it for a while and watch your libido make you go crazy. If you usually have sex at least once every week, trying doing 5 weeks without sex. This will not only make your next episodes better but also help strengthen your mind. Let me tell you that you can tame your sexual desire and put that energy on your other projects. You can re-channel your libido to weight lifting, studying a new field etc, the way monks do. This is for men, a good boxer or footballer will not have sex before a major game. And don’t masturbate, it takes away a lot of testosterone which is needed for high performance. Sex and orgasms lower testosterone in men, a huge component for high performance. I doubt if people like Nikola Tesla even dated, but hey at least they gave us currents, the world would be dark if they decided to have sex instead of putting thousands of hours into inventions. Sex can be a waste of time and energy.
Avoid curse words
People in relationships have safe words that they use when arguing. Those words help in saving a troubled relationship…however, there are words professionals avoid using at work because they bring bad luck. Doctors, for example, cannot use the word ‘quiet’ at work. A doctor can’t say “it was quiet today” when on duty or if asked how his or her day at work was. The moment they say that word, they start getting emergencies and people in the comma. I read it somewhere and I must say it was weird for me. Now you are probably not a doctor, so I just need you to stop using the words impossible, can’t, never, no, bad etc…because anything is possible if you are a believer or just an optimist. Words are powerful…don’t let bad things come out of your mouth, you can jinx your day. You give life to your words when you speak them…damn, it was quiet today!
Sleep more
Don’t be some lazybones. Just add 30 minutes extra to your sleep. If you usually sleep 5 hours, add a little and see your performance levels during the day increase. Sleep is important, there is a reason it is there. Don’t listen to biased advice that sleep is bad, if you are sleeping more than 8 hours, then you are okay, in fact you are too much, most people sleep 6 to 8 hours. I do 6 hours or less. I have been in situations where I am just sleeping 4 hours or less, and you can guess what happened? I was stressed and constantly clumsy at things. I could even forget to return calls and messages…I changed my sleeping patterns and kaboom, things got better!
Do yoga for 30 minutes
Just reduce your workout. If you have been doing two hours at the gym, do an hour. If you have been doing long strenuous workouts, maybe you might want to try light workouts and see a difference. Overworking out might be affecting your performance and putting too much stress on your muscles and cause fatigue. If you work out every day of the week, try 3 days a week and see your strength get better and body grows well. Try different exercises too…if you do a lot of yoga, try weights. If you lift heavy weights, try lightweights. Or get into swimming and mountain climbing. A break into something new might be the ritual you need.
Wake up at 3 am
You are more creative at night. Being a night owl might not be that bad after all. You want to get an A in that hard course? Wake up and read in the wee hours, you will retain more during these hours. Your favorite song was probably written and recorded during the night, magic is created when it’s dark. You were also created at around 11 pm.
The things you do every day are your rituals actually, they contribute to your overall output. Develop healthy habits and see your performance skyrocket.
