“Punches and kicks are the tools to kill the ego. The tools represent the force of intuitive or instinctive directness which, unlike the intellect or the complicated ego, does not divide itself, blocking its own freedom. The tools move onward without looking back or to the side.” – Bruce Lee
This quote struck me this morning as I contemplated the idea of a routine. My ego has always insisted I need routines. Imaging Bruce Lee teaching me martial arts and the force of my intuitive, instinctive directness blocking the force of routines which are blocking my freedom. It led me to my steadfast friend Google to look up the definition of routine. Do you want to know what it is? Lean in –
- A set of programming instructions designed to perform a specific limited task.
- A set of customary and often mechanically performed procedures or activates.
- A prescribed, detailed course of action to be followed regularly, a standard procedure.
This feels mechanical, stuck, limiting and just plain and icky. But you’re saying I need these routines to get through the day. Right?
It can be overwhelming just to:
Get the chores out-of-the-way
Produce an acceptable amount of output
Grind out work because you need to make the next bill payment
Having a cup of coffee to jolt you into the next routine
Set the alarm to jump into the gym
Drop the kids off at school . . . . . . .
There is lots and lots to do. It’s easy to see why we need routines to “accomplish” all of this. Right?
I have a question for you.
What if you were to routinely practice your dream? What if you were to ask yourself which activity has the highest impact I can make today on my life and the world? What if you started doing more of what you want to do rather than what you “should do”. Today is a perfect time to stop “shoulding” on yourself.
What if today you dropped your standard procedures and choose to place more value on the fulfillment you get from working with a meaningful project.
What if today you blurred the line between work and play and just relax into that blur.
What if today you replace your customary mechanical movement with more stillness and notice how space allows action.
What if just for today you allowed your natural rhythm to speak to you? What if you honor that voice by flowing with the peak action period and drawing inward when the waves subside?
What if you choose to be fully expressed as YOU today instead of your routine?
That is my Dream for You. Can you hear YOUR Dream calling. Answer the call.
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The term “routine” does sound boring and limiting, so I prefer to think of it as structure. When I have structure to my day/week/month, more gets done without me having to consciously think about each and every item individually.
Structure leaves room for play. Think about children and how they embrace their world. Structure helps them to feel secure, to know what to expect from their day, but it doesn’t get in the way of enjoyment, of sheer pleasure, which can be had in the smallest of moments. This is how I strive to live my life.