Persistency and Consistency – 2 Sides of the Same Coin

Is it is just me or all of us go through a hard time making persistence and consistency a habit for the lifetime?

I was sitting at my desk looking at my blog and thinking if I should get myself on some other blog space. Then, it occurred to me, do I really write that often that I need to be somewhere else for more readership? I have been in blogging space for years (it wasn't popular that point in time when I registered) but never been a regular one. There are months when it doesn't even exist for me. One of the reasons was quite straight, as I never thought of writing for readership (until now), so I never bothered. It was just another ventilation source. On the contrary, now that I see other regular bloggers (writing about anything and everything), another angle came into perspective which is about habit. Another quick example, I always saw my dad being so disciplined about healthy food and workout. I loved it but to adopt it never became an idea. I dragged, yawned and had put it all aside to stay longer in my comfort zone. Did I just say ‘comfort zone’? Oh yes, that’s the culprit, all the way, that makes me not to get on to something I wish to. I wish to but not strong enough.  

The point I am making is, can it be because I never made it as a habit of writing, eating right and workout. I never believed that keeping it more persistent and consistent will help me to reach my goals. The right thing to say is, I wasn't ‘conscious enough’ to think about it so deeply. In fact, leaving a habit mid-way is more of a habit for so many of us. We are so busy in our daily chores that we forget to understand the importance of few habits, which if we build up right, can make us step up the ladder. These little habits can make our routines less stressful and more productive. I do remember having a routine being a kid where I was made to go to school, doing homework, swimming classes, dance classes, eating supper together as a part of daily routine. The downhill was when my parents started thinking of me mature enough to create a discipline life for myself, and then just everything went bizarre. I took every day for granted and god knows how fast these 32 years passed by. Oops did I just wrote my age, never mind!

We all learn, sooner or later. I did too. Before this year started I did not see myself taking my health and workout as my ongoing lifestyle and was in the habit of quitting it within 10 days. I still happen to quit but a conscious effort has been put up to come back to it. This time, I decided to be more persistent and consistent with my efforts, consciously. We see thousands of articles on the web about how long does it take to form a new habit. Say you want to go to the gym regularly, eat more fruit, learn a new language, wish to meditate, take out time for reading, quit smoking. There are many theories written about it and you can educate yourself with as many as you wish to. Food for thought for me is can we really form a habit putting it in a bracket of 21 days challenge, as spoken theoretically? For how many days you are able to actually make a conscious effort to do before it gets lost in the realm of daily chores? I agree this can be more of a psychological subject but I still have my own theory of it.

I strongly believe, it more depends on how and why you wish to make something a habit. It has to do something with your passion and what you really believe in. Until and unless you want it very strongly to be a part of who you really are, it will not happen. It doesn't matter how many books you read on Google or how many blogs you visit. Yes, they can be a source of motivation but not strong enough it comes from within you. It has to do with you in the making of a change. You will not end up doing it just because it is a good thing to do. You need to carve a path for yourself to be able to walk on it persistently and consistently. Look for a reason, a solid one that brings that strength in you to focus and be determined. I know, this piece of writing is not what I usually write about but remember my blog is all about random ‘thoughts in bits and pieces’.  I am bringing myself to say that each one of us has the capability to be persistent and consistent, provided we have a strong desire and a reason attached to it. A simple reason is to make yourself a better person and teaches you to be committed to none other than yourself. Otherwise, you may find yourself walking backwards stranded mid-way.