Habit and Happiness: A Ritual Reminder

Author Allan G. Hunter advocates “…a form of ritual that reminds us how we wish to live.”

“My own ritual of leaving work includes such things as making sure I hold doors for others as I leave the building, rather than rushing through, and if I drive I make sure to let other cars go first,” Hunter wrote. 

“Most people are anxious to get home, so it’s actually a good idea to be out of the way of anxious drivers. I do it for another reason, though. I do it to remind myself that I’m going, where I want the atmosphere to be helpful and considerate, and I may as well practice that along the way. I’ve tried jumping into my car and racing home to complain about my colleagues. I did for years. It wastes a perfectly good evening.

“And that brings us neatly to the concept of how you can deal with this is you’re working from home. Be very careful about this, or you will turn your entire home into your workplace, and you’ll never actually leave work.”

Thich Nhat Hanh had a similar idea. “We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves,” he advised. “And we’ll also have a lot more joy in living.”