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Self-Improvement

Consistency Is Hard Dammit.

Ev Chapman
February 1, 2022
•
2 min read

This is going to be an uncomfortable essay about consistency.

I am going to put a caveat at the beginning to say I am NOT the queen of consistency. Most of the time I write about things I'm currently experiencing and thinking about. So take this as much as an essay I'm writing for myself as for anyone else.

Here is how the Cambridge Dictionary describes consistency:

"The quality of always behaving or performing in a similar way, or of always happening in a similar way."

Let that word 'ALWAYS' sink in for a while.

Not sometimes, not when we feel like it. Always.

Now, I know what you're going to say. No one is perfect, sometimes we miss a day. Sometimes we need to take care of ourself. And those are totally valid and you totally should look after yourself. I absolutely don't want to see anyone burn out.

But that doesn't mean we should change the definition of the word consistent.

  • Consistency is hard
  • Consistency is going to push you to your limits
  • Consistency is going to be uncomfortable
  • Consistency is probably going to make you mad

Consistency is going to make you want to give up and find any excuse or loophole to not have to show up or perform in the way you committed to.

And guess what? We are probably going to fail at it a few times. And that is OK. What matters is how we show up the day after a failure. Do we keep going? Do we learn from it? Or do we beat ourselves up? That is the true test of a consistent character.

So don't beat yourself up the next time you fail. Dust yourself off. Remember that this shit is hard and get back in the game.

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