It's easy to make commitments:
I will get fit.
I will stop eating junk.
I will stop smoking.
I will write every day.
I will market more.
Anyone who has ever tried to better themselves by taking on such challenges knows that motivation is high at first. However, motivation wanes very fast. Humans are inherently emotional animals; our moods vary day to day for no apparent reason.
What to do when, unavoidably, motivation wanes?
Consistency.
Once we gather enough momentum, we want to look to consistency for success rather than motivation. We do something because we have been doing it for a long period of time. In other words, we have the momentum.
Consistency is great because it keeps us going in the short to medium term.
I have kept some long streaks in my life: daily Duolingo, daily pushups, a certain number of workouts a week, a certain number of code commits.
Momentum and consistency are amazing and help us improve and keep going for extended periods of time. They help us alter our character because, truly, we do become what we do.
You do art? You're an artist.
You write? You're a writer.
You code? You're a programmer.
You don't code because you are a programmer. You code first.
However, just like changing moods defeat motivation, consistency has its own opposing force. And that's life.
Invariably, life happens to all of us. By life, I mean unexpected events: earthquakes, children, near-death experiences, family members or friends passing, illness.
These are momentum killers, and daily habits can fall by the wayside.
What do we do in that case?
We need a habit of getting back on the horse as quickly as we can.
Momentum is not lost after we miss a single day. Yes, it takes a hit, but it doesn't go from 100 to 0 in a day. If you understand this, you will not be blindsided when this happens. Devise a strategy and get back on the horse as fast as you can.
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