Most people blame discipline when consistency fails them. They push harder, set new reminders, and restart the same routine only to fall off again. The problem was never effort. It was never even habits. It starts much earlier than that, in the way you see yourself.
The Hidden Reason You Can’t Stay Consistent
Consistency is widely encouraged. Everyone talks about it because we have realized it is one of the proven ways to accomplish our goals. But in the same way that it is effective, it is also hard. Most people want to be consistent, but they don't know how. They try to do something for a sustained period of time, but their resolve always wanes.
Their intentions are genuine. It is just their method that fails them. There is a reason why most people can't stay consistent. It isn't a physical problem; it is an identity problem.
Most people want to start a new habit through action, and that is good. But they may still be hanging on to old beliefs. They want to be consistent, but every chance they get, they make statements like, “It's just me, I can't be consistent.” This shows that they don't see themselves as consistent people. How, then, can they be consistent?
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It is impossible to be who you do not believe you are. Consistency, like any other habit, can be learned. But it is less physical than it is mental. Before starting a new habit, tell yourself you are the kind of person you want to be. Teach yourself to embrace the growth you have not yet seen.
And the way to do this is to rewire your mind. To read books that change your thinking. To say words that make you feel powerful. To stop living like a victim. Because consistency is for resilient people, determined people who don't care how daunting a task may seem, they continue toward their goal regardless of anything.
Reading is one of the ways to teach yourself consistency, both in knowledge and in action. Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
If you are to be consistent, or even find what you love being consistent in, you must open yourself to mind-changing knowledge. Because sometimes, you just need to stand on the shoulders of giants to see what others haven't seen—what will keep you going.
