“…And in his upper room… he knelt down on his knees three times that day…as was his custom since early days.” Daniel 6:10 NKJV
Out of all the requirements for success, consistency is one of the hardest. The reason is it requires a change in habit or routine of the doer. You can decide to take action on something once and you’ll do it. But to be consistent at it will demand a change in something.
Every great feat achieved over time was only possible through habit. And developing habits is not an easy feat. We grew up learning habits that both help us become successful and that fight for the very same success. To unlearn such destructive habits come with a lot of adjustments.
Thanks to the new discoveries in neuroplasticity, we know that the brain has the capacity to expand and create new neural pathways for any new consistent action we want to take. This means consistency is possible.
But to be consistent, we also need to figure out what new habits to form. Even though I can’t boast of never missing a day, the only reason I’ve been able to write every day is that I had to fix one habit – my morning routine. I had failed to stay the long haul in previous years. But when I knew it was time to start again, it took me three months to figure out and start creating a new habit that would make consistency possible. God may have given the instruction, but He will not create the habit for me.
How do you then create habits that fuel consistency?
1. Understand what you want to achieve and why
What is the goal you’re trying to reach? Is it to become healthier by exercising daily? Is it to get closer to God by praying daily, like Daniel in our focus scripture? Is it to build a positive reputation at work by arriving before everyone else?
You need to be sure of what you want to do daily and why. Many people stop here and think that grit will help them stay consistent, but there’s another step.
2. Assess your current lifestyle
The reason you’re unable to consistently do something you really want to do is that something about your lifestyle may be blocking it. Most times it’s not your village people.
Dig in and assess why you’ve been unable to carry it out consistently. For example, I realised that waking up at the same time as my family was taking away time I should spend alone writing. The reason you’re unable to arrive at the office early is that you spend a lot of time deciding what to wear.
This is a long post that I’ve decided to break up into two parts. In the next post, I’ll share the next two steps to take if you want to create new habits that help you take consistent action. But start with knowing why and where you are. Only then can you do what comes next.
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