Another week of me trying to be consistent with the morning runs. What it’s taught me that I realise is that there’s so much power in being consistent. Consistency over frequency. Consistency is stability, standing firm and after-effect. Take the gym for example. You can do many reps (frequency) and do less sets (consistency). Say you could lift many heavy weights back-to-back, but if you are not consistent each day or even in that one gym session, what are you really doing? How will you keep it up long term?
You’ll be irregular, that’s why most people will have a workout plan tailored to their goals and capabilities. Depending on your muscle and how long you have trained, you got to build up the reps but maintaining the sets. Personally, I am not a personal trainer or have any qualifications in fitness, but this is just my mere observation and thoughts.
One morning I really didn’t want to get up and go for a run. But to keep the consistency both my sleep pattern and keeping my morning routine according to my goals…I decided to still get out of the house. While I didn’t run, I did make an effort to get up and go on a walk, rather than ditch the walk altogether. What was important was me to get up and move!
Due to train track closures, this week I had a to find a new way to work. One morning I noticed a lady walking up the stairs to this other train station – but as we got to the top I saw that she was purposefully walking down stairs. I realised then she was walking up these stair to get her steps in. I didn’t think much of it until the next day I saw her again. And guess what…she was doing the same thing! I kept seeing her til one day I changed my schedule and went earlier. I assume she kept showing up and came that same day at the same time she had shown up before.
What I realised was that she was being consistent. But most importantly she was showing up for herself. No one else was going to “force” her to walk those stairs, but something more in her mindset.
Like gym, even just showing up in the gym is a good start to be consistent. As we repeat and gain momentum in our routine, we can begin to realise it’s possible and look forward to doing whatever it is. Rather than the negative impacts of missing days at the gym, which can stack up. Like for instance, missing your foot on steps in a staircase, is like when we miss days at the gym. It gets harder to keep climbing the next stair, if we miss one, to reach to the top. Like have you ever tried missing, 1, 2 or 3 steps in a staircase? Each one was purposefully meant to be where it is to help you get higher, to get to the destination.
Like in the Word. Opening your Bible could be the best thing you do. Starting to read won’t be easy, but even if it was for a moment reading His scripture you can build consistency, and who knows you might even get a takeaway so relevant to your current situation. Rather than coming to Him when you feel, we should come to Him on our best and worst days. When we are busy and when we are not. To build a lifestyle of “I get to XYZ…” rather than “I have to XYZ…”. To look forward to doing whatever it is you want to do or know you should be doing.
Stay consistent with what matters most. Overtime the consistency will get easier as you build it.
In our faith we must remain consistent in our actions. Latin for “standing firm” is consistere which is from the word consistentia. Consistentia means “a standing together” and consistency comes from consistenia. By being consistent means you can depend on it – don’t we want to depend on His Word? [1 Corinthians 15:58]. So let’s be consistent in His Word.
Just a side note. When I was driving, I saw a sign that read: “Prayer works just ask Jesus”. And it’s so true. Prayer does work – we need to ask for help. Even to help us overcome our feelings and emotions to power through another day that He has made.
God, You Amaze Me!
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1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
God is key to consistency