Building Consistency

How do you find a habit, and then stick to it? See it through and make it an active part of your everyday without “falling off the wagon” so to speak.

Habit building and maintenance is a lifelong journey. It is a commitment that we make with ourselves to stay the route of constant self improvement and growth. It requires a focused determination and a strong amount of discipline, but the outcome of becoming a stronger version of ourselves feels so deeply rewarding.

Living in the era of constant knowledge gaining, we as a generation have been blessed enough to be able to access advice, information and support on how to find and maintain the best version of ourselves. Check out some of my suggestions of how to find consistency with your habits below.

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Accept The Stumble

Accept the fact that you will stumble. When we embark on maintaining a habit we are adamant that we will not fall. We will not face struggle, or pause, or hiccups; but life is filled with hiccups. You simply drink a glass of water, wait for the hiccup to pass, and resume. Same principle applies here; accept the stumble, and then dust yourself off and forge ahead.

Days Will Be Missed

Know that missed days will not mean that the work of previous days towards your habit building have been reversed. We seem to have the strong misimpression that consistency means showing up without a fault, in any and every capacity. Recognising that you are human and will have days when you simply can’t for whatever reason is a freeing and rewarding reality. It lifts undue pressure and the idea of your habit being a burden and it suddenly feels much easier to maintain.

Create Accountability

Accountability is everything. Finding someone to support you on this journey and to hold you accountable for this new habit you’re trying to incorporate is extremely helpful. It can be an app, a friend, a family member, an online support group; simply someone that you have to check in with and are reminded by “hey, did you do the thing that you wanted to make a priority in life right now?”. It makes the journey far less lonely.

What Is Your Why?

Whenever you feel yourself stumbling take a moment and reconnect with your why. Ask yourself why did you decide to embrace this habit? What was the reasoning behind choosing this journey? How is it supposed to serve your life? Refocusing on your why can allow you to centre your attention once again and find your way back to your habit.

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Set Up Reminders

Create reminders for yourself on your phone, on the whiteboard, on the fridge, on post it notes in the bathroom; anywhere and everywhere that you will make sure to see it. These reminders are designed to give you that nudge towards whatever you have chosen to be your focus right now. “I promised myself that I would drink 8 glasses of water a day; I made that commitment, time to maintain”.

Take Breaks

Some habits will require pause in some capacity; like exercise, rest days are vital. These are the days that you take it upon yourself to refresh and recharge and fuel your body so that you can commit to maintaining your habit long term. We imagine consistency to be seeing something through without any breaks, but pause is necessary sometimes and returning after the pause is a testament to your consistency.

Change Takes Time

You need to accept the very genuine truth that change is a process that takes time. You can’t simply wake up after day one of starting a new habit and expect a new and improved you to look back at your in the mirror. It’s a process, showing up again and again and again, investing time and energy and effort, that is what will lead to results in a gradual manner over time.

Change your Mindset

Often times we can end up being our own worst enemies. When we are unable to meet the goals that we set out for the day we can talk down to ourselves and feel frustrated. This achieves nothing positive and leaves us feeling dejected. Recognise that this commitment to your habit is still valued to you and that you will renew it tomorrow. If anything is holding you back from maintaining consistency then address it, and move on.

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To Summarise

Starting a new habit is the easy step, but building the discipline to maintain it is where the hard work and effort comes in; that’s what makes it worthwhile. Once you’ve established that something is important enough that it deserves your focus and time then make it a priority. Take the steps to establish your consistency and see how your life shifts towards improvement.

What habit are you hoping to begin and remain consistent with?