21 Life Changing Rituals Book Review

You are not what you think, but what you do, according to Theresa Cheung in the book 21 Life Changing Rituals: Daily Practices to Bring Greater Inner Peace and Happiness.

“Most of us have absolutely no idea that what we repeatedly do creates our everyday experience,” says Cheung. “We think our future is shaped by big events, decisions we make, thoughts we have, and opinions of others, but this book will show you that it is your daily actions that are the golden key,”

The idea that thoughts have power is prominent in life coaching and self help in general. One of the problems with the “thoughts have power” concept is that if you experience moments of fear, doubt or indecision, those thoughts have power too. And negative thoughts send vibrations that can hinder your success.

The last book I reviewed for this column, Miracle Prayer by Susan G. Shumsky states that “doubt or fear places a shadow on your desire and prevents fulfillment. However if you have full faith, then nothing can stop you.”

According to Cheung your frame of mind is irrelevant as long as you take action. Cheung differentiates ritual from a habit. “Habits are mindless activities done without conscious thought and intention, and therefore unlikely to impress the universe. Rituals, on the other hand, are activities filled with a sense of sacredness.”

Cheung advises readers to adopt rituals for the morning, the afternoon and at the close of the day. She describes specific rituals, but says you can create your own. “It doesn’t matter in what order you do things,” she writes. “The important thing is that what you do is written in stone, it remains the same each day for the next 21 days and that you understand how important this routine is for you to have a successful day.”

The author suggests that you check in to see if the rituals are working. One way to check is to write down at the end of each day whether you are more productive. Then compare your productivity with how correctly you observed the details of your sacred rituals. See if there is a correlation.

“Your actions need to attract good things into your life in the same way your thoughts do,” says Cheung. “Research...shows that your brain is led by your actions….if your daily actions are positive then your thoughts will follow.”

21 Life Changing Rituals Daily Practices to Bring Greater Inner Peace and Happiness by Theresa Cheung is available at the Brooklyn Public Library.