Consistency is Tough

Starting a new habit seems like you’re doing something for the 1st time.

Being this is the beginning of a new year, we hear everyone’s “resolutions”.  What we’re all going to do DIFFERENT this year.  What can we do that will make 2016 the BEST year of our professional and personal lives?

Creating goals that are reasonably accomplished is typically the toughest thing to do.  When we set goals, our vision and hope of what we can accomplish can sometimes be a bit larger than the reality of our situation.  However, setting even a lofty goal, and NOT following through by the 8th day of the year doesn’t bode well for making this the BEST year of our lives.

The transition from one habit filled day, to another habit filled day won’t be easy.  The flow of life that you were in prior to this change has become your routine, your habit filled day.  To change that routine, or what you feel is the most important thing is JUST like asking your swimmers to stop crossing over their heads in their backstroke catch.  You may want them to move their hand 2 inches outward, but to them, they feel you’re asking them to move it a FOOT further out.

Change is tough, but all change can take place through consistency.  Little by little, and step by step, PROGRESS toward the goal takes time, IF the goal is worthy.  But consistency, developing new habits, a new daily flow, is required.

The painful period of setting up that new flow means you’ll need to reset your daily routine.  Either adding something additional to what you do, or taking something away.  Removing the busy things that are just busy, and not productive.

Who am I writing this for?  Me of course.  I’ve made a commitment to myself this year, and to adopt a new daily task.  I’m the 8th day in, and forgot it early this morning when I was supposed to do it.  Fortunately I caught my old habit early enough in the day to adopt the NEW habit.

Only 357 more days to go until I have to think about changing this NEW habit… or hopefully, if it’s as good as I hope it will be, I’ll keep it going.