Last updated on July 3rd, 2023 at 10:15 am
Habits are a set of actions that when repeated constantly becomes a behaviour. Behaviours create a personality. The ability to consistently change our personality and expand into new humans is a superpower.
Habits are instrumental to becoming the ideal versions of ourselves. Discipline is good when it comes to habits. Shifting our self-image is also concrete just as changing the stories that we tell ourselves, but the goal is not to strive for inconsistent perfection. You can’t put in 100% today, then tomorrow, 20%… nothing sticks that way.
To form new habits in order to expand ourselves, consistency is the water that turns the wheel. I think of huge results as a combination of habits, consistency, and time.
One time, I had to take the pedestrian bridge to work thrice a week and it was torture. My thighs burned every time I climbed those stairs but I started allowing myself to look forward to it and the ensuing burn, until one day when I no longer felt the burn. I was surprised and happy. I already concluded that the burn would never stop but I wouldn’t also stop taking the stairs. It came as a shock when I started to take two steps at once and felt no burn. I was elated. I didn’t really think that those days ( of consistent input) mattered. But they did!
Results = Habits + Consistency + Time
What makes consistency pivotal to achieving great results is that you don’t have to be perfect—you can always continue even when you falter and it counts.
How to show up for yourself daily:
Remember that when you’re consistent, you’re showing up for yourself because you matter, because you’re a big deal, and because you deserve better.
Make your goals simple:
What is your goal? You can’t define the required steps let alone be consistent without knowing what your intended result is. Highlight your goal(s).
Incorporate a fun factor:
Now that you know your goal, how can you make achieving this goal fun? Once we get bored, it’s hard to be consistent. Even by incorporating a fun factor, showing up constantly is not a walk in the park. If your goal is to be fit, and the habit is to walk daily, the fun factor could be listening to good music on your walk.
Implement boundaries:
Establish a limit for yourself, this gives room to be flexible. If you allow enough flexibility, it’s easier to show up constantly. Say you want to establish a boundary with your daily walks, a decent boundary can be that you have to show up no less than five times a week. This means that on average, you can show up five times in a week instead of maybe three times or even seven times, only to feel miserable and skip the following week entirely.
Read more about self-boundaries here
Create a system:
A system is a combination of hard and soft guides and tools that aid your goals and help you work smarter. Showing up is easier when you make room for your goal in your schedule. Do you need reminders? Do you need affirmations? Do you need pictures (as in a vision board)? Mark your calendar and create a system that works for you. Still citing the example of the daily walk, a system can include a ten-minute reminder plus putting your walk outfit in an easy-to-reach place.
Don’t think about it (don’t overthink):
Just get up and do it. Once your alarm rings, change your outfit and go on your walk. Sometimes, checking in with your body can give you false feedback. Just do it and check back later. Once you give room for thoughts, you can feel hesitant and consider doing it later. Don’t think about it, just do it.
Be reminded that you’re unique and deserving of a deeply fulfilling life. As you show up daily for yourself, enjoy and focus more on the process and less on the outcome. With consistency, the outcome is a given.
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