The Power of Habits and Rituals: Why We Should All Have Them

NOTE: This podcast was transcribed by an AI tool. Please forgive any typos or errors. Full transcript goes here. The Power of Habits and Rituals: Why We Should All Have Them === [00:00:00] cara: Do you want to know the first place to start? If you're really trying to build a life of purpose and ease that is with your habits and your rituals. This is something that has been evolving with me as I grow. And I can't wait to share the insight. Stay tuned and I can't wait to get started. [00:00:16] cara: Welcome to float activity, a place to inspire and empower beings to embrace self-love and self-development for an achievable balance of productivity. I share different ways to come back to your intuition through spirituality, self care, human design, cycle planning, wellness, and everything in between. [00:00:35] cara: Thank you so much for joining me this week. If this is your first time. Welcome. And if you've been here with me before. Thank you so much for coming back. I'm so excited to join you in this journey. As we learn together. [00:00:48] cara: Thank you for joining me on today's episode of floductivity, we are talking about habits and rituals and taking. Those tools that will help you [00:01:00] take aligned action towards your goals and really propelling you forward. So talking about rituals habits, mine have completely changed over the years. And that's kind of the point is to set things that you do every day [00:01:13] cara: And then if it doesn't serve you. Let it go. [00:01:16] cara: So a big part of my habit ritual is. [00:01:20] cara: Kind of letting it evolve as I evolve. And seen how it makes me feel, because if I'm doing something that is feeling forced, I'm not going to give it my all. So I'm going to walk you through a little bit of each habit that I do. And maybe something will resonate with you, [00:01:38] cara: so I'm gonna talk about what routines have really helped for me, but if you're having a hard time. Getting to a point where you have the routines and the habits that really speak to you that you're like showing up to do every day. My suggestion is to look at your birth chart. And if you look at your six house, it is for health, wellness, [00:02:00] routines, and rituals. And this is all about how you live your day-to-day life. [00:02:05] cara: And if you could look at the Zodiac sign and kind of embrace that energy. So for example, mine is an Aquarius. And so I have been trying to figure out routines and a more cutting edge way. And so for example, one of the things that I've incorporated is I've taken. These Tibetan rights. And I've turned them into my own [00:02:30] cara: More updated, more fits my needs. And so it's really helped me stick to something over time because I am someone that when it's the same thing every day, I can stick to it, but I like to keep my phases of my cycle. In mind [00:02:49] cara: when I'm moving my body because it's really important. And so before I get into the concept of the Tibetan rights, I want to mention that there was a point in my life that I was [00:03:00] getting up super early and I was doing hit workouts every single day, no matter where I was in my. Cycle and it was depleting me and I would get so upset with myself that I would be on it. [00:03:12] cara: And then I just felt like I couldn't do anything. And that was my cycle telling me, yo, yo. Your body is not meant to move that way. At the end of your fall and your winter, and even a little bit in the beginning of the spring, because you're still emerging in your spring. So my routines. Our cutting edge because they're taking old modalities of cycle planning because this isn't new. This is an ancient way of living. We've just forgotten in the hustle culture. [00:03:42] cara: And so I've taken this ancient way of living and doing things like the Tibetan rites and kind of merged it into how I want to live my life. And so let's dive into the Tibetan rates. The Tibetan rights are five yoga moves that you do 21 times. After [00:04:00] each move. You say an affirmation. And the short concept is. [00:04:05] cara: Too. [00:04:06] cara: Align your chakras. You can look up more into it, but I started doing the Tibetan rights, the way they were presented to me, probably about, I don't know, nine or 10 months ago. And then I've transformed them into my own. [00:04:19] cara: I do want to mention when I started doing the Tibetan rights, I started with only seven repetitions because even though the moves are simple, it's a lot to do. None of them to all of them, 21 times. So. If you're thinking about doing something like this, I would recommend. [00:04:36] cara: Starting with seven and then each day adding another repetition. But what I've done for myself is. I've kind of fallen away from the strict workout routine. I don't really work out anymore. This is considered my workout and I love it because it's under 10 minutes. It's moving my body. I don't have to feel guilty. [00:04:56] cara: About not moving my body when I'm in certain phases of my cycle. [00:05:00] Now mind you, if I need to burn off some energy because of my, you know, hormone cycle, I do try to do that more in my summer and beginning of my fall phase. But this is a way that I don't have to feel bad that I didn't move my body because I do it first thing in the morning. [00:05:15] cara: And so I will do a, another video. , on YouTube or even tiktok of these Tibetan rights. So for this is something that you want to add in your regimen, or if you're looking for a way to move your body under 10 minutes, that you can show up every day, I'd highly suggest this. [00:05:32] cara: So I've added my own extra moves to hit all the boxes for me. So I didn't feel like this routine covered enough of like squats or legs. So I did add squats to the mix with my own affirmation that I felt like I needed. And then I also do ragdoll at the end, also with an affirmation. And so this is really. [00:05:55] cara: Helped me in the morning because I can show up every day because. When I have to get up early [00:06:00] and take the kids to school, like we gotta be out of the house by seven, 15. It's short enough that I can do it before we leave the house, because I don't know about you, but once I get home and I get in the hustle of work and whatever I need to do, it's like, oh yeah, yeah, I'll do that later. [00:06:14] cara: And then I never get to it. So it's something I check off the box in the morning. It makes me feel good. And I love it. [00:06:20] cara: The next non-negotiable that I do is I drink athletic greens. Hit has ultimately taken away every supplement that I was taking before, before I was taking a probiotic, I was taking magnesium, a prebiotic, I was taking a lot of stuff. This is all I take. Ultimately, it's a drink. It's green. But it's actually very, very tasty. [00:06:45] cara: It is an all-in-one drink with 75 vitamins minerals and whole food source ingredients. It has prebiotics probiotics to enhance nutrient absorption. And I think of it as nutritional insurance. [00:07:00] If it's something that you're interested in trying, I will have the link in the show notes and [00:07:04] cara: you will get five free travel packs. [00:07:06] cara: When you first sign up, they give you a canister and a water bottle. I just fill it up with water. I add about three ice cubes in it to make it the perfect temperature for me. I shake it up and I either drink it on the way to take the kids to the school. Or I drink it while I'm reading a self development book. [00:07:23] cara: And that is another part of my morning routine. [00:07:27] cara: As an Aries sun. In the ninth house that is just self-development is really important to me. And that is why I have this podcast is YouTube and I show up, it's just my passion to share the knowledge that I come across. And I hope that it helps someone else in the process. [00:07:43] cara: So the self-development book I'm currently reading is the master key system. It has 24 chapters and I read one chapter per week. Mondays, I have a little more time in the morning. So what I do is I really read that chapter [00:08:00] intently. I highlight the key points and then that way, if I have a rushed morning later in the week, I just read the highlighted points to kind of absorb it a little more. [00:08:09] cara: But the concept of this book is just really bringing the law of attraction with science-based. Research and how you can kind of. Take your dream life and bring it into fruition. And so it's a lot, it's, it's hard to read. And so reading it each day really helps kind of break it down. [00:08:28] cara: I've been doing this for years now that I just try to read a little bit each morning. And we'll see, you know, when I'm done, I'm on chapter 15, 14. And so we'll see what I jump to next, but, yeah, self into development. First thing in the morning just helps get my brain going. Another important factor of my routine, my rituals, and my habits is I have my phone set. [00:08:51] cara: That I have all the apps except for a couple few like Spotify, that is another thing I wanted to mention is. [00:08:59] cara: When I [00:09:00] take my kids to school, we listened to the affirmation podcast episode. They love it. They ask for it and it just kind of gets our mindset positive before they are off to school. And so I love that they get really excited about it. I will have that link in the show notes because it's been awesome to take my habits and see how much my kids like incorporating it in their life to. [00:09:22] cara: So back to the whole phone thing. [00:09:25] cara: So in creating these rituals, one of the biggest boundaries that I've set is myself and my phone. I have my phone on, do not disturb from 10 30 at night to eight 30 in the morning. And they also have the majority of my apps blocked. And the reason I did this was because there was a time in my life that the first thing I did was check social media and check. [00:09:45] cara: My email. And the research on when the first thing you do is pick up your phone, how it spikes that dopamine and it ultimately leads to addiction with technology. And so I had to [00:10:00] reevaluate why I liked social media and stop letting it define who I am and what I want. And so taking that time away, allowed me to reset, to know I like social media and the fact that I can build a community with it, but I don't need to look at it too. [00:10:16] cara: Figure out my worth. [00:10:17] cara: And so it is important to me to create that boundary around social media, because it is something really hard for me and I've had to work. [00:10:26] cara: Hard to build a relationship that I like with social media. And it took me not really being a part of it for a while. And it's still ever evolving. So I haven't like figured it all out. But setting that boundary with my phone is really helped me. [00:10:44] cara: Another habit that I highly suggest is keeping your phone in a different room. When you go to bed. It's just something that I kind of disconnect myself from electronics and phones and all that. And I leave my phone in the office and then that way there's [00:11:00] no temptation to pick it up right before Because again, the studies that show that when you're looking at a phone or looking at a TV right before bed, it really can affect your sleep. And I love my sleep. So anything I can do to protect that and make sure that I'm showing up as my highest self. [00:11:16] cara: That is another thing that I highly suggest, but you do, you. [00:11:20] cara: No, I do have some rituals that I try to do before work, but it is always dependent on what my work. Is like that day. Sometimes I am designing digital products. Sometimes I am meeting with people all day. It is a varying day to day. So if I am looking for more support, In my creativity. I will do a little prayer for. [00:11:45] cara: Me to kind of step into that creative space. If I am meeting with people and I need to have confidence, I actually have a routine that I call connecting with my elevated state. [00:12:00] And. I've given her a name. I have given her a song. And I think of it as like when Beyonce steps into Sasha fierce is that concept, but I don't like the name alter ego. [00:12:11] cara: For me, it's that elevated state so that I can really be the best version of myself when I am showing up for other people. And so that could be what I'm doing, a podcast that could be when I'm filming, videos for tiktok, whatever that may be. But the important thing about all this is when you find the things that work for you really make sure you have them in a place so that you can come back to. [00:12:36] cara: And so that's how I really. [00:12:38] cara: Made my rituals and tweak them over the years so that I can say, okay, well, you know what, I just stopped doing this. So this isn't a part of my ritual anymore. And so it's just kind of knowing that I can just take five minutes and connect with myself, release energy, call-in creativity, whatever I need for that moment. [00:12:59] cara: I have [00:13:00] five minutes to do that. And everybody that is going to be either talking to me on a video or is going to be using my products will appreciate that I can really kind of channel into that version of myself. [00:13:12] cara: So have a place where you can keep these rituals and the habits. I actually have a really awesome. [00:13:19] cara: I don't even know what to call it. A resource that is going to be coming out for January 20, 23. And I will tell you more about it, but this is something that having a place for the habits and rituals, it will be in this resource. So stay tuned. I'm really excited. It's going to really help people plan. [00:13:39] cara: The best. [00:13:40] cara: For themselves, that's ultimately. The little tastes that I'll give you. [00:13:45] cara: Now I'm going to get into the different things that have supported me in building these habits and rituals. But before I do that, I just want to kind of wrap up my. End of Workday ritual, bedtime ritual, so that, um, you [00:14:00] can kind of just see that. Taking a few moments throughout the day is really going to help you connect with yourself to make sure that you are fully connected with yourself and what you're doing, because if you're just kind of mindlessly going through your day, you're not giving your best work. [00:14:16] cara: I can tell you that. I've I was there before, where I was just kind of hustling through, trying to check off the boxes. And now that I'm more purposeful with my energy and my time it's showing in the relationships I built showing in the work I've done. So I just encourage you for you to check in with yourself throughout the day. [00:14:33] cara: I try to take breaks throughout the day, whether that's literally just walking outside for 30 seconds and taking a few breaths. It's important to me to just take a moment to say, does this feel good? Is this really bringing my best self ' cause sometimes. I get so action focused. That's my Aries Sun, just like wanting to get through and get done. I worked past the point of it feeling good. And then I wonder why it didn't turn out the [00:15:00] way that I wanted, because I forgot to check in with myself. So that is something that I do throughout my Workday. I try to at least. [00:15:06] cara: And then to end my Workday. I literally shut down my computer. I imagine my work kind of being disconnected for myself because before I would let all that stuff attached to me and it would affect my sleep, it would affect my focus of being with my family. And it's like, what's the purpose of spending time with them. If my mind is on my work. [00:15:26] cara: So it's creating that. Boundary with yourself and your work. And that doesn't always ring true for me because. My work. Day is very sporadic because I have kids I have to pick up, you know, it's, it's great that I've built this business that can ultimately go around everybody else's schedule, so sometimes my computer is open. All those things. I didn't have a chance to kind of energetically cut those cords, but I am trying to be a little bit more aware of giving. That. Focus on what I'm doing instead of my mind, jumping [00:16:00] and thinking about the other things. [00:16:01] cara: Another little thing about how I plan out my work week is. I've used the idea of. Each day of the week has a different. Zodiac sign and energy behind it. And I actually kind of work in that sense of, you know, Monday is just more planning and kind of mapping out the week, mapping out the month. And then. [00:16:25] cara: You know, going through each day. And so it feels a little better. I think I might do. An episode on planning with the Zodiac, which is a breakdown of each Zodiac. Season. You know, the 28 days and then using it each day of the week. So stay tuned for that because I think that would be helpful. Because sometimes it can be overwhelming where your focus should be. [00:16:47] cara: And so for me, it's like, oh yeah, that makes sense. This energy feels better to do it on a Monday. And this energy feels better to do it on a Tuesday. And so I do have. Different days that I meet with [00:17:00] people. On zoom. I have different days that I do podcast work. I have different days that I go through my emails and that way my energy isn't sporadic throughout the week there is. Proven facts about when you batch your work. You get better work and more done because you're not trying to spread yourself so thin. So that's another thing that I would suggest is. Maybe. Keeping your email replies to a specific time in each day so that you're not sporadic. I mean, I know not everybody can have that with their work, so. [00:17:34] cara: You know, take it as, as you may. [00:17:36] cara: So to wrap up my ritual of bedtime, it's very limited, but like I said earlier, I cannot use any apps on my phone. After 10 30. It's a, usually non-negotiable sometimes I break that, but for the most part, 10 30 is the cutoff. And I have been doing just like a thank you prayer before bed. And then I [00:18:00] visualize what I really want. And I just say, what if universe? What if these desires that I truly want come true? I think about how they make me feel. And then, you know, I'm off to sleep and that is. , roundabout of my rituals and routines. [00:18:15] cara: So now I'm going to give you some recommendations of some apps that I use. And again, you don't have to use the apps that I've used, but the concept is really helped me build really purposeful routines in my life. And. I found. When I was working and even when I kind of stopped working, what would happen would be. [00:18:34] cara: I would be overwhelmed with all the housework that I had to do. Before I had kids, I would just devote like a huge chunk of the day to really just clean the house from top to bottom. Well, I think anyone with small children can probably agree with this. You can't really do that. [00:18:50] cara: You know, your energy is kind of being taken to one thing to the next. So you can't get that like focus. And so what I did was used an app called a note.[00:19:00] [00:19:00] cara: But what I did was create a folder. And put everything that needed to be cleaned in my house, in this folder. And then I started tracking. And ultimately saying, okay, you know, like I need to wash the sheets. Every two weeks. And so I would put a reminder in my phone. That the sheets needed to be washed. [00:19:17] cara: But the thing about it was is that he evolved, I change. I realized, oh, this was being done too much. This isn't being done enough. And then it got to a point where I'm like, Ooh, [00:19:29] cara: I am in my. Fall phase. And so I want to make sure all my cleanings done before my winter phase. And so I've been able to really pinpoint a way of cleaning that it doesn't feel overwhelming that it's broken down into, you know, little tasks throughout the week. And then the great thing is, is just like, you [00:19:47] cara: It's fine. I don't have to do it. I'm going to move it until next week. And so just using the concept of having something where all these tasks lie, and then you can go through and customize it to [00:20:00] your life and how it is in a way that's not overwhelming to you. I'd really recommend that. Is my house always clean? No. What I love a cleaning lady. Yes. But that's not my life right now. And so finding a way. To work with my life in a way that feels good to me. This is highly recommended to just go through. And go with the flow, see how it works for you and then adjust. And I've come to a point where I've been doing this so long that I don't really need that app anymore. I can. [00:20:31] cara: Just look and say, Ooh, it's getting time to do all the trash upstairs. So I'm going to go ahead and do it. I mean, it's still nice to have the reminder. But it helps me from getting to a point about forgetting about certain cleaning tasks. And then I'm so overwhelmed with having to do it all. And that my house doesn't feel clean anywhere that. [00:20:51] cara: It's just in little bits. What I prefer my house to be like all clean all the time. Yes. But it's just not doable. So I hope that tip helps. [00:20:58] cara: ​[00:21:00] Cycle Vitality printables are designed to help you plan for productivity and success. Using the standard operating procedures that the universe co-created with you, [00:21:10] cara: These printables, give you the power to take control of your life and achieve your goals. [00:21:15] cara: [00:21:15] cara: This Download includes multiple cycle planning, graphs, note cards to teach you about each phase daily and weekly planning pages. You'll be operating from a place of ease instead of struggle, which makes all the difference in achieving your goals and living a truly fulfilled life. [00:21:31] cara: Download yours [00:21:32] Front Right - Yeti Stereo Microphone-4: [email protected] slash cycle. [00:21:36] cara: Starting an online business. there's a lot of tasks involved a lot, and it's really hard to keep track of all of it. So anyone that is in this space. Or just in general is having a hard time keeping up with the tasks of their life. I would highly recommend getting a task. Management tool. [00:21:55] cara: And I use asana. I use the free version. I do not pay for [00:22:00] it., I am. Creating these standard operating procedures of things with my podcast, things with my website and that way, again, I'm not getting overwhelmed with all these little things. You know, I have something in there about checking my analytics, making sure that the effort I'm putting in is growing instead of going backwards and that I can really look and make sure. [00:22:22] cara: My energy is being inputted in the right places. And I just want to warn you. It can be overwhelming using it at first. You know, they have videos to help walk you through. [00:22:33] cara: But it's yours to create. There's so many different ways that you can create task management. You can do it through boards. You can do it through calendar. And it's really helpful and I've actually translated. Using these tasks that I like to do in certain phases of my cycle and have it right there on the board that I'm like, oh, [00:22:52] cara: I'm starting my spring phase. So let's start planning. Here's all the things that I really need to plan. And so creating standard. [00:23:00] Operating procedures helps take the overwhelm away and it also helps. Keep you on task and it is a time-saver. Now, creating these standard operating procedures. Take time in the beginning. So have grace for yourself have patience, but let me tell you. [00:23:16] cara: Doing a podcast can be very overwhelming, but the fact that I have customized these templates that were actually given to me through the course I took and made them my own has saved me so much time, headache and energy that I didn't want to put somewhere else. So. Again, if anybody's overwhelmed with like all the tests they have to do in life, find a task manager because it is lifesaving. [00:23:40] cara: A book I highly recommend on the whole idea of habits and rituals is atomic habits. And the reason why is it breaks it down for you in the most simple way? Because most of us try to have this grand plan where you're just going to like automatically change your life for the next day. And then it's overwhelming because you can't keep up with it. [00:23:59] cara: [00:24:00] So the whole idea is ultimately improving yourself 1% each day. So you make more maximize effort and that you're not overwhelmed with these big plans that you can't follow through. So I'll make sure I put that book in the show notes and I highly recommend it. [00:24:16] cara: Now I hope you enjoyed this episode. Of habits and rituals. It's kind of inspired me to do some. [00:24:24] cara: More astrology because I've, I actually have used astrology a lot in certain areas of my life to really harness like how I'm designed, how I'm built, because sometimes when things feel hard, you can look at your astrology chart and say, oh, that's why, okay, let me use this energy to kind of push through it. [00:24:41] cara: Thank you so much for joining me this week. If this was your first time. Welcome. And if you've joined me from previous episodes, thank you so much for coming back. And before you go, I would love if you could share my podcast with a friend that support means so much to me and helps my podcast more than, you know, [00:24:59] cara: If you want to [00:25:00] learn more, check out the show notes and all the links mentioned caradempsey.com/31. We'll chat soon.