Let’s Talk Consistency
Consistency helps habits stick. Our aim should be progress not perfection in any area we want to improve.
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Do you ever pick a word for the year? Every January I try to think about what I want for the next year of my life and decide upon a word that embodies those ambitions. One year it was Create, another year it was Grow. This year I decided on Consistent. So much in life depends on just showing up consistently. Whether it’s your workout routine, learning something new, your eating habits, or your financial choices, consistency is more important than perfection, which none of us can actually attain. Consistency creates habits. That can be good or bad. When I consistently drink more nights than I should, I don’t get good sleep, I don’t feel great, and don’t do my body any favors. But when I am consistent with healthy habits like prioritizing sleep, drinking 100 ounces of water, and getting 4-5 days of strength training in, my body responds in positive ways and I feel better.
During the pandemic, my mom was brushing up on her French with an app called Duolingo. She seemed to really be enjoying it and had a lengthy streak going so she was doing a lesson every night when we were visiting. It didn’t take her long, maybe 5-10 minutes and she said she felt like she was learning a lot. I decided to give it a try and did the free version for three months to see if I would stick with it. I set up notifications because apparently, I got my love of streaks from my mother, and it would remind me daily to do a lesson. Lo and behold, 811 days later I’m still showing up for my little owl friend and learning French. I’ve missed a few days in that 2 plus years but thanks to the streak freeze in the paid version, I’m still going. I consistently open the app, do a lesson, speak a few exercises, play the matching game, and listen to stories in French and I can absolutely say that I can understand and read and speak better French than I could when I went to Paris for the marathon. I’m not fluent by any means and I’m not perfect but with consistency, I’ve grown and improved. Isn’t that the goal? It’s my goal. I love to pick a topic or skill and do my best to grow and improve in that area.
Another way I’ve learned to create consistency is to habit stack.* Habit stacking is when you identify a current positive habit that you have and then stack a new behavior on top of it. For example, I’ve never been a consistent flosser. I know, I know flossing is important, my dentist used to tell me every year, and yet I couldn’t get into the habit. Maybe it was because he never told me why it was important, it was always just because he said so, and I need more than authority if I’m going to make it part of my life. No dentist ever said to me, like my mom’s did when she asked if she had to floss all of her teeth and his response was “only the ones you want to keep.” My dentist never shared with me how not flossing can allow bacteria to build up that not only affects your teeth and gums but can also affect your heart, your brain, and levels of inflammation in the body. Flossing helps reduce plaque buildup and helps prevent gum disease. It can reach bacteria that brushing alone can’t touch. So when I decided to get serious about flossing I knew I had to habit stack it. Which should have been easy right? Brush teeth then floss teeth. But I had tried that order and it had never stuck so I decided to reverse it. My habit of brushing my teeth was well-established from the time I was a kid so I started flossing before I brushed to see if it would make it easier to create that habit and it worked. Now it’s a no-brainer. Every night for the last two years, I flossed and brushed my teeth before bed. And since I’m not completely recovered from people pleasing, progress not perfection remember, I’m super proud to report to my dentist now when I go in for checkups.
Can I encourage you to add some consistency to your life? Pick an area you want to improve and start with a 30-day challenge* to get you started and into the habit. It doesn’t have to be seismic. Start small but stay consistent.
