Consistency

I realized that I have started being sloppy with my posts, I am no longer as enthusiastic as I usually was when I started which It’s normal I guess. My mum tells me all the time that I lack consistency which might be true, but here I am up at 3:41am on the 25th of January trying to come up with something to post. I have heard a lot of motivational speakers and what nots say “consistency is key”, key to success I guess but they never really talk about how hard it is to be consistent. How hard it is to keep on doing that one thing amidst the trails you might face.

Lol my trails are more psychological though. Writing is my therapy session and I really don’t want to loose it. I figured if I write about the topic maybe, just maybe I’d follow my own advice and be consistent. Over the years of growing up I picked up so many things I showed interest in like; writing as a kid, designing outfits (lol I even started fashion school), baking (I also enrolled in catering school), Lol the list goes on and on but I never really stuck with anyone. I really don’t know how it happened I just lost interest in all of them, I got bored I guess.

With “aunty google” being my best friend, I decided to look up ways to be more focused and be consistent. So I decided to share it with y’all, basically I want you guys to hold me accountable for everything I write here today. Do I have to define consistency..?, wait that was a rhetorical question, go do that for yourself. The only thing I seem to be consistent at is sharing memes and being inconsistent. Basically, the reason we are inconsistent is because we tend to dwell more on the positive feelings of the outcome than we do with the struggle of the journey. Most of us quit during the struggle before we could experience the rewards of staying on course.

I tell myself I want to make healthy decisions, so I sign up for workout sessions. For the first ten to fifteen days I am religious with the whole process, then I miss a day, then two days. Two days becomes a week and I am like “duck it!”. Lol I repeat the whole thing and the cycle continues. I know that consistency is the key to progress in all areas of my life, but somehow I continue to falter. I am going to share some tips on how to be consistent.

1. Live in the present

This means being fully engaged in the task at hand and avoiding anything that would waste mental, spiritual, and emotional energy like worrying about past or future things (non of which we can control.

Being a writer means I have to wake up at odd hours to minimize my distractions. Most of all, it means quieting my mind that says things like:

“What if my readers think this is trash..?”

“I don’t get many readers so what’s the use of writing every week”

I have decided that instead of making these thoughts stop me, I’d quietly acknowledge them and move on.

2. Expect the worst.

Most of us get involved in stuff thinking it’s all rosy, the funny thing is we believe this even after our past experiences. There is always going to be trials along the way but we shouldn’t let that discourage us.

3. Don’t let self doubt get to you

We all at some point have self doubt, I sometimes think my writing isn’t good enough and some weeks it gets to me. Don’t let that monster called self doubt win, and self doubt is birthed as a result of fear. One thing you should know is fear kills dreams.

4. Feeling uninspired?, do it anyways

I have been feeling uninspired a lot lately, I think of topics but I just can’t get myself to write anything. I picked up a pen and I only get as far as writing down the topic, I have decided to just write what pops up in my head whenever it pops in my head. I would do things that would make me creative; take a walk, listen to music, meditate, exercise.

5. Get an accountability partner

I know some of my regular readers that anticipate that every Monday I would send a broadcast urging them to checkout my post, and if they don’t see the message they ask me what happened. My response is usually vague but it’s nice to know that some people care about my writing. So I have decided to make y’all my accountability partner, I hope it would be a game changer.

6. Developing a routine

I know some of y’all find the concept of routine tiresome and boring but trust me the secret of your future is hidden behind your daily routine. Get that one thing you love to do and make it a routine.

Being inconsistent is normal, don’t beat yourself up whenever you don’t stay on course. Always live in the present, I hear it’s a beautiful place. There is a quote I once heard and it hit me good; “Depression is dwelling of the past, while anxiety is the fear of the future, enjoy the present” (Lol that wasn’t how it was said, I interpreted it). In order to be consistent, we have to find joy in the process before the actual goal is attained.

Xoxo Coco