The Role of Ritual (12/30/2025)

Happy New Year’s Eve Eve!

Ok, I couldn’t help it – I had to repeat my bad joke from last week. And whether it is on your calendar or not, it is New Year’s Eve Eve!

Last week, I used the title of a Christmas Song to frame my take, and I am doing the same this week. While the song isn’t quite as iconic, I think my message is evergreen. I hope you enjoy it.

And the article is adapted from part of a chapter in Flexible Leadership (if you are new around here, that is my book that was published this year). I believe my message here is also timeless, but it also timely as people think about making resolutions for the New Year. (Here’s a bonus if you want to read my thoughts about those resolutions.)

If you missed it last week, or were too busy to click the link, I have a gift for you! I re-imagined an exercise I created for our recent Remarkable Gratitude Challenge and an evergreen exercise for teams or groups of any kind. If you would like a flexible framework for a team, group or family gathering or event, this Gratitude Exercise might be just the ticket! In fact, if you are looking for something to do with family or friends tomorrow or this weekend, let me humbly suggest this too. Here’s the link to access with our compliments.

We are ready to serve you and the world in 2026. Thank you for being in our orbit.

Make it a great Tuesday and have a very Happy Start to your New Year.

You are Remarkable!

Kevin 😊

Put a Little Holiday In Your Heart

Despite all the hustle and bustle and stress, the holidays are a time most find themselves kinder, more joyful, more giving, and a little more aware of others.

Many say, “if everyone would keep that feeling all year, the world would be a better place,” – which is true, but not very actionable.

Here’s what is actionable.

You can keep that outward focus.

You can give more – of your time, energy, focus, and help.

You can look for joy.

You can be kinder.

All of these are choices – that will serve you and those around you well.

Your experience tells you this is true.

Think about what helped you make the choice last week.

If it was the music, (maybe even the LeAnn Rimes song with the title of this article), keep listening to it.

If it was spending time with your favorite people, make more of that happen.

If it was looking forward to something special, find ways to build more of those “looking-forward-to experiences” in your life.

If those external cues help, great.

But you can find other cues too – and when you do, it will help you make the choice easier.

And then resolve to make the same choice this week (and next…)

Changing the world is a good idea, but a big one.

Changing ourselves is a better idea, and a more actionable one.

The good news is that the best way to change the world is to start with yourself.

And you can start by keeping a little holiday in your heart (and actions).

The Role of Ritual

If we want to be better at anything, whether it be cooking, throwing darts, or leading people, we need more than new skills, we need to change our habits to apply those skills. And you can’t change a habit (which is our automatic response), without intention. But how do we ensure our intentionality?

With ritual.

While rituals can be societal or group based and are often connected to religion or beliefs (think marriages, baptisms, or bar/bat mitzahs), they can be more personal and not have a religious connection.

While changing habits require us to refine our intention and desire up front, rituals serve a bigger picture purpose. You could look at rituals as a mega-habit. In other words, rituals are a big picture activity; habits are the details.

KEEP READING

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