Consistency is Key.

I think we really fool ourselves a lot into believing that something can remain the same. Those of you who are wise would know that the only thing that's constant is CHANGE! However, at the core of our hearts we tend to desire consistency, and if any change shall come - then we only want it if it's for the better. However, the best gift you can give to yourself and others is - consistency.

Lately I have not been seeing consistency in the areas of my life where I wished for it the most, no matter how much I believed in it or desired it. It made me think about what affects us when it comes to being consistent in any given area. I realised that the biggest hurdles when it comes to being consistent are our perceptions of ourselves, our capabilities, our limitations, our self control, our self discipline and our ability to set boundaries. What I mean by that is - say you set a goal before you (it can be in your personal life, career or relationship) and you begin moving towards that goal, but if you do not have the proper mindset to encourage and motivate yourself, you have not set boundaries and lack self discipline. Are you motivations internal or external? It's time to reevaluate yourself.

Let's say you set a goal and initially you are going strong and things are going great - you are pumped and excited because it is new, your motivation is almost natural. If your goal is to be fit and healthy, you are going to the gym 5 days a week, you get all the healthy food at the grocery store, you take vitamins and all stocked up on all that good protein powder and stuff - YEAH! You even make that awesome workout playlist to get you going...then week 4 rolls around and you are getting tired of keeping it up, you are extra tired from those extra hours from work, your friend just had a birthday party and you had some true true Bahamian food with some cake, your workout playlist is too overplayed and you are bored. So, you decide to take a day to sleep in, then you skip again...and before you know it, your life takes over and you lost that rhythm...bad idea - you probably lack self discipline and of course, consistency...The first thing to ask - why did you begin working out to start with? Was it to impress someone or maybe because you are comparing yourself to someone and you just want to prove something to them? External stimuli never sustains progress...

Perhaps you set an ultimate career goal towards accomplishing a degree or acquiring a skill. Are you the person who started going in that direction but it has been years and things are still on hold. Are you only one year into it and have not gone back? Has the dream of becoming a doctor or a lawyer been pushed aside and you are discouraged or simply don't bother pursuing it because you lost the rhythm? You lack consistency. The question to ask is: are you really passionate in that career choice or you are living someone else's dream? Maybe you are just discouraged or distracted...or lazy?

Maybe you have set some goals in the area of a relationship or friendship and decided that this time, if you shall have a serious relationship, you are going to apply everything that you've learned and will not repeat those old mistakes. You really wanted to do thing the 'right way', whatever that right way is for you...but then suddenly things started to go south - you lost your temper, acted without thinking and did things you afterwards regretted...you burnt bridges. What happened was that you probably had weak boundaries and possibly lacked self control and all those idealistic goals went out of the window. Good questions to ask are - did you go into the relationship prepared, did you do your homework, did you heal from the previous relationship, do you know who you are without unwavering...or are you trying to be someone you think that person wants so you can be with them? That will never last. Work on yourself and know who you are before you decide to get involved in a serious relationship. Know where you are in life, where you stand on those 'non-negotiable' issues and what you want. Also, know what you bring to the table and what your intentions are. That is when consistency will not be an issue because you will be what you say you are and no one will ever have to guess or question that.

Consistency is more powerful than we realise. Consistency means that you are not going to give up on your goals. Consistency is that glue that keeps us stuck to going forward towards our goals and dreams. Consistency is what's going to produce results in every area as we apply ourselves until we experience progress. Consistency does not necessarily mean we are going to get there fast, but it does mean that if we keep at it - we will get there!

So, just because you failed or just because you dropped the ball it does not mean things stop here. You can still make it happen! You can still pick up where you left off in your journey toward meeting those goals. You can start today and still be successful, just remember to be CONSISTENT. Don't give up! Even if you fall off, remember that you are still on that road and you can get back up and keep going!

God has been showing me where I am in my journey and He encouraged me greatly, so I wanted to share that with you guys. I have been discouraged about not keeping up with the blog. So much traveling and time was just not on my side and I felt like I failed because I was not consistent, but I refuse to let this stop me from writing! This commitment to writing this blog is definitely teaching me a lot. Even when I don't post, I am constantly writing with the blog in mind, I just have to be more disciplined with my time management so I can ensure it is posted in time. It is motivating me to keep going forward, sticking to my goals and to keep thinking of the little things that I am thankful for that I want to share. I really believe that if we choose to be consistent in the areas that we already started and overcome those hurdles it builds us up and prepares us for even greater things in the future!

...and for that I am thankful