Above picture made with ChatGPT

Say Ritual Instead of Habit

I always find it interesting that we use the word habit a lot when we mean ritual.

A habit is smoking cigarettes daily or drinking coffee every morning.

But things like working out are rituals. They’re acts of will to promote change over time or to maintain a good status quo. Reading or writing daily would be a good ritual, not a “good habit.”

I like the word “ritual” rather than “habit” because it gives the person practicing the ritual a sense of accomplishment in developing the habit.

Also, labeling good habits as rituals promotes our awareness of the spiritual nature of a good habit.

I think people are scared to label a good habit as a ritual for fear of degrading the sacred to others. People think, how dare I call eating a salad daily a religious experience of sorts? But it is. Eating a salad every day is a great example of a good habit that is a transformative ritual.

Eating a salad every day will keep you more regular, which will keep you in a more even-keel mood. Which is a disposition of greater gratitude toward existence, and therefore a disposition of greater gratitude to God.

Good habits are rituals. Good habits are prayers. Do not be afraid to replace going to church with praying while running.

When I used to go to church, I would see many overly socialized people. For them, going to church was effectively a bad habit, as it increased a dependent mindset in people who were already over-dependent.

I can honestly say that even for myself, there were many periods in my life where what I needed was a walk or run alone to be with God, instead of the church I was looking for him in.

If you look at normal good habits as rituals, you will slowly transform simply living into a religious experience.