Consistency is… Controversial | 2/23/21

Let’s unpack and challenge this popular saying, shall we?

To start… what is consistency? It’s doing something regularly, repeating something over and over, in some kind of format or structure in relation to time.

When Consistency Works – Daily Meditation 

So why is it important? Well, let’s take meditating for example. Meditation has changed my life. And not because of one or two meditations I have done here or there that had a profound impact, like the one I did on Sunday when I connected with divine living and “non-living” beings and felt into the time/space continuum and multidimensionality.

Me on Sunday

Even though that meditation on Sunday was DOPE, what has impacted my life has been my daily morning meditation practice, going on 5 years now. Wild.

The reason consistency is so important and creates lasting change is because when we do something over and over, we create a baseline and then can expand over that baseline. Both because we are clear where we came from and where we are now AND because the effects are cumulative.

My baseline BEFORE meditating was headaches multiple times per week. After I started my daily meditation practice, they subsided, due to my consistent practice. One meditation didn’t “fix” my headaches. My daily practice helped support my system and allowed them to subside.

More recently, over the past  6 months, I’ve been doing the same grounding & energy clearing meditation every morning, releasing what no longer serves me and refilling my aura with my own juicy energy. Over time, I now report feeling more grounded and in tune with myself. Beautiful.

When we do things over and over, we start to see long, lasting results. We get to notice what actually changes and trust it, based on our slow, steady turtle-like work and progress. And remember… the turtle wins in the end.

Challenge the Norm

Now, after saying all the reasons why consistency IS in fact, key. I’d like to challenge that and talk about why consistency is also controversial.

If we try and implement things that aren’t in alignment with us and force ourselves to stick with it for consistency’s sake, we will end up abandoning it altogether and get nowhere.

So, for instance, when a doctor said that daily movement, exercise, and getting outdoors would be good for my mental health, I froze.

Me, frozen

How in the hell am I going to move/exercise/get outside EVERY SINGLE day?! Some days I have a million meetings. Others my to-do list is out the door. Sometimes I want to rest, inside, forever.

Regardless, I leaned in, ever so slightly, and started small. I focused on adding more walks to my life. Two birds in the backpack kinda thing. I found workouts that I love, and people to do them with. I noticed that even standing on the front steps and breathing in the air and noticing the wind and sun could be enough.

Now, 6 months of experimenting and implementing later, I’m happy to report that I workout, move my body, and/or get outside most days, the consistency of which is amazing for both my mental AND physical health.

Time for Experimentation  

That beginning part though – the experimentation. The hesitation, even. The questioning. This is a very, very important part. When implementing something new that will transition us, even ever so slightly, into a new lifestyle or business structure, we must give ourselves time to experiment.

In my experimentation phase with movement and being outside, I found that even pausing to dance to a few songs on my playlist, giving my full self to the music, counted as moving my body. And when I did that on days that felt so crazy busy I couldn’t possibly work out, I felt immensely better.

I also found that having the physically-distanced meet-up be a walk allowed me to double up on connection and sunshine. Add some hills and boom we have a workout, too. Before long, fitness felt like a lifestyle again.

In Practice 

The reason I’m writing all this is to give allowance for the experimentation phase as we implement new things into our lives and business. Even when we know they are good for us. Even when we’ve been wanting to do them for years.

The beginning part is so much harder. The resistance is still there. The “I’m not good enough” or “I don’t know if I can really do this” self-talk comes up. The “what was I thinking” or “I don’t think I actually need this” voice appears, and is oh, so convincing.

So, in the beginning, give time and space for this part. The in-between part that takes energy AWAY from being consistent. And soon, after some time, you’ll realize what actually feels good and manageable and in alignment. And then you can implement with clarity, confidence, faith, joy, and gratitude.  And then, my dears, it’s yours.

My Beginning

This beginning part, the experimentation, that’s where I’m at with my business content. Do I know, intellectually, and from my business knowledge that emailing my list and blogging and posting on Instagram and going live and doing free trainings and appearing on YouTube and TikTok and ClubHouse consistently will be good for my business? If done well and with purpose and meaningful, inspiring content and a clear offer, hell yeah it will. The more I’m out there, the more people can find me, and the more clients I will attract.

Do I also know that if I try and implement all of these at once, I’ll get completely overwhelmed and want to stop everything? Also, yes.

So, instead of implementing consistency with my content in some artificial way just to provide structure so that I “feel better” that I’m achieving something that may not even be aligned with my business, I’m focusing on my priorities.

One of which is progress. And another is showing up. Consistently. Every single week. Most every single day. Over, and over, again. As I build up to an appropriate level of consistency with my content.

And that, my dear, feels like just the right amount.