Creating a Habit of Consistency!
I polled social media, as I do from time to time, for topics and content, and not much to my surprise consistency was one of those highly requested.
Granted I am sure it was assumed I'd never write the post, due to it taking so long to compose but, to be honest, this is a tough topic to discuss. It's something we all know how to do, but still want to be reminded of how to do it. Therefore, I battled with how to make this post plain, without being redundant and intellectually insulting...
Consistency is defined (according to Google) as conformity in the application of something, typically that which is necessary for the sake of logic, accuracy, or fairness.
Consistency, nonetheless, is a logical way of maintaining certain behaviors. It's essentially a habit that we have to continue to fuel. But I get that this can become very challenging especially if the intensity of our dedication to being consistent is directly impacted by unknown factors.
What do I mean by this?
If you think about it, anything can happen in your day that impacts your ability to be consistent. For instance, if you get to work at 9:00 am each morning, making sure that you complete all subsequent tasks by 8:30 am, to allow exactly 30 minutes to get to work and to your desk, on days that it rains, that 30 minute driving time could easily turn into 45 minutes to an hour; therefore negatively impacting your ability to consistently get to work on time.
Same with workouts right? If you get sick, you may end up not working out due to being ill. And in some cases the next day you may not feel good also, so by the time your health is restored, you may no longer have the same desire (or intensity of consistency) you once had to working out.
The thing that we have to realize, however, is that sometimes things that negatively impair our ability to be consistent are out of our control. And there are some instances where we can attempt to account for those factors, e.g. adding 30 minutes to your drive time, or pushing through a shorter workout when ill, etc., but there is no way to guarantee the result we desire.
So what about those things we do have control over?
Simply put, consistency is a habit that you must maintain commitment to, so STOP MAKING EXCUSES!
I learned that I no longer make excuses for things I didn't have a desire to do, just because someone is trying to make me feel bad or challenge me to be and do as they do. It's OK to be honest with yourself and others. And frankly, that's the only thing you really need to do. So, stop justifying the act of not doing.
Instead of providing an excuse and rationalizing lack of consistency, confront yourself in the mirror and explore why you disengaged. Ponder what is currently keeping you uncommitted to reengaging.
I've learned that no one wants to admit that they've failed at being committed. Or that they may have something at the moment they need to address in order to regain access to that focus.
As human beings we are not ROBOTS. We have feelings, we sometimes get consumed with thoughts and our focus is easily misdirected. The best thing we can do for consistency is identify that this is an issue, and figure out how to deal with the issue at hand that's dominating our focus so much so, that it's negatively impacting our ability to be consistent.
Hope this helps!
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