Consistency
The lengths that people (myself included) will go to to avoid doing hard things always makes me laugh.
Really, you end up doing more work than if you just sucked it up and did the hard thing first.
I’m guilty of it too, believe me. There’s this really big hill on my usual run that I dread. It has to be a solid ½ mile uphill. As I’m running down it I’m already thinking about how much I don’t want to run back up.
On my run one day, I figured out that if I take this little, relatively flat, trail I found at the base of the hill, it winds me around and brings me out almost at the top of the big hill. So guess who outsmarted nature and started taking that trail. Me.
Except, the other day as I was avoiding my slopey nemesis I realized I was adding at least a mile to my run just so I didn’t have to face down the massive hill. And all of a sudden that seemed so silly.
With nothing else to do on my longer than normal run, I started thinking about how my logic truly made no sense and how it can be applied to so many situations in life.
When faced with something we know will be challenging, we tend to make it even worse in our minds, dread the effort it will take to get to the other side of that problem, and come up with numerous ways to get around it. We’re hardwired to take the easy way out, because effort feels like a threat.
The issue with that thinking is that we end up making more work for ourselves than if we just looked the problem in the face and did the hard work to overcome it right then and there.
As human beings with the ability to control our thoughts and choices, we can choose to override the fear that is engrained in us. The fear (because deep down that’s what avoidance really is) of the obstacle is our initial reaction, but that doesn’t mean we have to listen to it. We can choose to do it anyway, or even do it afraid.
And spoiler alert - when you do the hard thing, it feels so freaking good. Running up that hill sucks, sure, but do you know how it feels when I get to the top? Amazing. I’m proud that I chose to do something hard, didn’t let it beat me, conquered it, and got stronger.
Every single time I get to the top I say to myself (and my dog cause he’s always running with me), “We did it! And it really wasn’t so bad.” It’s never as bad as we make it out to be in our minds.
How does this apply to our health?
Let’s say you want to lose weight. I’m going to tell you exactly what it’s going to take: working out consistently and moving your body, working on your mindset and thought life, nurturing your nervous system and dealing with unresolved stress, fueling your body with balanced meals, and putting your phone down at night so you can get 8 hours of sleep.
It’s awareness, discipline, consistency, getting to know yourself & digging deeper into what’s holding you back, and holding yourself accountable to do the things you have committed to- all of which can be uncomfortable. And that’s your big old hill to run up.
Instead of committing to going all in and doing the actual work every day, maybe you take the long way around - you go on a few diets, restrict your calories, lose some weight, gain it all back, do a whole bunch of cardio for awhile, cut out major food groups, fast, take some supplement that’s supposed to melt the fat right off your body, drink some magical shakes, follow a lot of accounts that talk about weight loss, read a few good books, stop and start every other week, kinda sorta try, burn out, restart, talk to your Dr. about weight loss medication, feel defeated, deprived, and hangry.
Those things are all the extra miles you’ve tacked on to your run just to avoid the hill. The actual hard work - discipline and consistency - are the things we fear. Maybe because they feel hard, maybe because if we really try then there’s a good chance we might really fail, and that’s scary. Maybe because we’ve been telling ourselves the same, tired story about who we are and what we’re capable of (which might be full of lies, by the way). Or maybe it’s because we don’t really want to change or try enough to convince ourselves to do it anyway.
But here’s the thing…
When you choose to do the hard thing over and over again, at some point you realize that it’s not that hard anymore. You begin to understand that you are capable of anything.
Consistently committing to doing the work, disciplining yourself to face down whatever challenge stands in your way, and having the confidence to tackle the obstacles in your path not only makes you stronger physically and mentally, but your confidence skyrockets, you become more productive, and you gain the skills to efficiently and effectively reach any goal you set for yourself.
Consistency is everything when it comes to achieving your goals. The effort you put in will reflect the outcome you achieve. If you kinda try, you’ll kinda get there. If you take the long way around, you’ll get there eventually, but it will definitely take longer. If you go all in, you’re well on your way to success.
Consistency is unavoidable when it comes to changing your health, your body, your weight, and your mindset. It’s not what you do once or twice that counts, it’s what you do repeatedly, over and over again, that determines who you are and what you accomplish.
So if you’re committing to walking every day, great. Walk every day. If you’re committing to lifting 3 days a week, awesome. Lift 3 days a week no matter what. If you’re committing to waking up every day to start your day with intention, do it.
Do the hard work. Commit to the process, and while you’re at it, you might as well learn to enjoy it. You’re allowed to do that too, and it will make it so much more fun.
If you’re ready to commit to yourself, do the work, and get the results you want, check out Mind Your Metabolism. It’s the framework and template you need to optimize your metabolism, shift your mindset, and transform your health.