The Cost of Consistency

I went to some yoga fitness boot camp for the first time yesterday, and when I looked in the mirror this morning, I could have sworn I had a 6-pack.

In reality, I don’t. (I know – shocker.) A 6-pack can’t happen overnight (although a girl can dream). However, Pinterest did point me to pins of “How to get abs fast” and “Workouts to get abs in a week”. You’ve probably heard this said before – everyone nowadays is looking for a quick fix or instant success. I’m not gonna lie – the thought of having abs in a week seems really nice. Why go to the gym every day if there’s a way to get what I want in a shorter period of time?

I’m no workout guru, but I can bet that if you followed that Pinterest workout, although you might actually get abs in a week, the results wouldn’t be lasting. There’s something to be said about the commitment and consistency it takes to achieve something.

I told myself that this was going to be a year that commitment & consistency were going to be my main focuses. Commitment and consistency go hand and hand because consistency requires that you stay dedicated and devoted, day in and day out. I wanted that to be my focus this year because that’s something I want to get better at and there are things I really wanted to commit to – like forming healthy habits, spending quality time with God, going to church every Sunday, making time for the people I care about, keeping constant communication with my family, doing my best at work, keeping my apartment clean, taking the next steps towards dreams, etc.

I want to be a person who embodies the word “consistent”. I think it’s one of the most admirable and attractive traits a person can have because it is some HARD WORK. And it usually costs more upfront before you even scratch the surface of seeing the value and benefits it could bring. It can cost your free time. It can cost extra sleep. It can cost skipping out on a milkshake with your burger (but it’s important to treat yo self sometimes!). It can cost going out with friends every day. It can cost acting on commitment over feelings.

And that’s what trips me up, because I feel ALL THE FEELINGS, ALL THE TIME. And if there’s one thing I learned about them from personal experience and from mere observation, it’s that feelings are ridiculously inconsistent. They’re erratic, unpredictable, fickle, flighty, chameleon-like, and so unreliable. You can feel completely motivated one day and completely unmotivated the next. You can feel the rush of excitement and butterflies whenever a relationship starts, and then bored and passive after time passes. You can have your mind completely set on something, and it can sway depending on how you feel that day or in that moment.

Sometimes I feel too tired to go to the gym or too lazy to spend time with God or too hungry to think about eating healthy or too uninspired to work on designs.

Initial commitment is easy. It’s the consistency to follow through with the commitment that’s hard. It pushes beyond feelings and remembers why you made that initial commitment in the first place. It’s getting back up and not quitting even if you mess up. It’s telling feelings to take the backseat for a sec because something is more important right now. It’s focusing on the benefits instead of the cost.

& The cost is so worth it in the end. You’ll get those abs, and they won’t disappear after you treat yo self to that milkshake. You’ll build stronger relationships. You’ll know what good work ethics look like. You’ll see your dreams come to life.

My hope is that we would be women who are known for consistency, in all forms of the word & in all areas of our lives. Wishing you the best of luck with the commitments and goals you made in the beginning of the year. Baby steps are better than no steps, and it’s never too late in the year to start moving towards the things you want to do. And for those who have already started towards the things you want to do but haven’t seen any progress yet, I encourage you to keep going! It’s only a matter of time before you start to see all your diligence or hard work or prayers pay off.

xoxo