Soul Support Blog

Routine, Our Vehicle for Growth

Routine. It’s not an exciting word. In fact, it’s meaning usually implies the exact opposite of exciting. Yet, its reference to our regular, daily, and common activities is what explains its power and necessity in our journeys for growth, change and transformation.

I have come to understand that routine—yours and mine—describes where we place our intentions and how we invest our energies. It’s the areas where I put my energy and intention that are most likely to manifest, grow, evolve, and be sustained.

This makes intuitive sense. I become a good student and graduate because I make time for studying and doing assignments. I maintain spiritual groundedness through regular participation in individual or communal spiritual activities. I maintain overall physical and mental wellness by consistently making and keeping doctor and therapy appointments and remembering to do weekly grocery shopping to have nutritious food on hand. All of these are varying forms of routine.

We all have routines. Just think about the things you do daily, weekly, or monthly; whether it’s taking showers, gassing up the car, or paying your bills, you tend to do them in predictable ways and intervals. It’s the changing of routine—creating a new habitual behavior—that can be hard. That’s why any change or transformation you or I seek must be a priority, meaning we choose to invest our time and resources in this pursuit while choosing not to do something else we might want to do. For example, prioritizing my creativity means if I have to choose between time dedicated to being creative or watching my favorite television show, being on social media, or finishing an additional 2-3 chapters in the book I’m reading, I choose pursuing my creative expression instead.

If I desire to change something in my life, then I must make time to go about doing the work that will achieve this change. If I want to express my creativity more, then I must intentionally create the opportunities for creative expression by blocking out time for writing, painting, crocheting, dancing, photographing, etc. The thing about routine is that it is not just about taking the time to do something—we can do something once, twice, or three times even—but consistently doing it over an extended period takes effort and determination.

I find the weekly meeting to be one of the best ways I hold myself accountable to investing my time towards manifesting the transformation I desire. Choose a day, any day, where you meet with yourself and look at the week ahead and literally pencil in the times you will take to do the work of pursuing your dreams, healing old wounds, or feeding your passions. This doesn’t mean you have to make time every single day for these efforts, but for most things where you are trying to change, a weekly investment of time and energy is usually required.

So go ahead, make yourself the priority, I assure you, you’re worth it in every way.

Now I can hear some of you already saying “But David, I hate routine. It feels too confining and rigid.” I hear and understand you. My counsel is two-fold. First, the time you put towards a single pursuit doesn’t have to occur at the same time, on the same day, every week. If need be, mix it up, change the days and times from week to week to make it feel less restrictive and predictable. Secondly, don’t do the same thing every instance you schedule time for yourself. If you’re prioritizing healing an old wound or trauma you can try journaling one day, meditating another, or reading a book that supports your healing journey. Keeping the activities varied is not a problem if it all goes toward the same pursuit.

Lastly, I know almost everyone has a busy life, and the idea of adding something else to our “to do” list is anxiety inducing. Trust, however, that we all have things we do that are not absolute necessities, which means we usually can find at least some time each week to pursue a passion, dream, or a healing. Again, this is about priorities, and I ask that you prioritize yourself not only because you deserve it, but your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and the whole world need and want the best version of you.