Consistent resilience

Alexis Rae Baker

Dear Lexis,

What’s one thing that you wish you learned earlier?

Thanks,

Growing in Olympia

Dear Growing,

For me, the answer is definitely the power of consistency and perseverance. And while I can say that I understand the value now, I can also say that these are still things I struggle with. I’m not a schedule person, and I’m not a planner, but I know how big a difference regular, daily rituals can make in someone’s life.

Being consistent and persistent can change anything you want. Whether it’s health, wealth, success, emotional development, relationships, or education, constant motion forward beats out everything else in the long run. As the saying goes, “consistency beats talent.”

This concept of habit, and sheer force of will, is hugely effective in eliciting change. If you can regiment yourself to build toward your goal a little bit every day, it’s virtually impossible for you not to get there.

The challenge, of course, is setting those habits up. As a young mom with a 1-year-old and a new baby on the way, setting up a regular schedule feels like a pipe dream. However, looking at my day, even if I can’t necessarily plan everything out to the minute, I could be more dedicated to making sure I get certain tasks done. The problem? I don’t really “want” to do those things in the moment.

Pushing past this “want” issue is perhaps one of the most challenging things I’ve faced in my life. Is it hard to get up and do the work? No, but somehow I still struggle. Why is this? Primarily because I don’t have a strong driving force motivating my actions. Freedom of time is my biggest motivator, and while it can motivate action, it can be difficult to think long-term when I’m looking at creating greater freedom in the future vs. Freedom to do what I want right now.

How could I change this? By being more consistent and by working to get my mind right on a daily basis. Funny how that works.

It seems to me that this is a universal problem. Learning how to step out of your comfort zone regularly is a hard habit to create. That being said, once you see the power in habits, you won’t be able to make excuses anymore. You could be the person you wanted to be; you just have to put in the work.  Knowing that, you’re already one step ahead of the game, so then it becomes an issue of putting those changes into place.

Yes, spurts of hard work can get you there. But, no matter what you try to do, small amounts of regular work will almost always get you there faster. So, if you can take responsibility for your own successes and develop strong habits of action, you will soon realize just how powerful and capable you are. You could even rule the world (although, personally, I think that would be a lot of responsibility).

Hope you found this helpful, and I wish you luck with the implementation.

~ Lexis

Lexis is Alexis Rae Baker. She writes from her home in Olympia. Got a question about life, relationships, spirit?  Visit her at lexisrae.com or write to her at Lexis@theJOLTnews.com