
Have you heard the phrase “consistency is key?”
It’s the practice of doing something regularly to develop a habit.
I am consistently inconsistent with my swimming. It’s because swimming isn’t easy. I also don’t like getting my hair wet.
Seriously, I have a lot of hair and it’s a pain to wash, comb and dry. I’d like to wash my hair only a few times a week — but when you’re swimming in chlorine you have to wash your hair after every swim.
I’ve been swimming off and on for seven years. I had some good excuses why I skipped swimming. A torn ACL, knee and cataract surgery and then COVID shutdowns. All together, that took me out of the pool for a few years.
This time back in the pool, I’ve decided the secret is consistency. I’m starting slowly, two days a week, swimming 1,000 yards — which was my warm-up in Masters. I began with kicking five days a week in my backyard pool to get the hang of getting back in the water.
Then I headed to the YMCA to lap swim. I could push myself and do more yards or more days, but I’m gradually going to build. I went from walking each day to adding swimming and barre classes and ended up with a pulled muscle. At my age, I’ve learned my lesson.
Start off easy, develop a habit and build. Be consistent.
I wrote about consistency and parenting that was published on SwimSwam. You can read it HERE.
I wrote about my first day of swimming US Masters HERE.
What are your secrets to developing good habits whether it’s working out or other aspects of your life?
Just do it. My only secret perhaps is writing things down. If I see it I do it
I write things down in my morning pages and make a to do list every day. It does help!
Right now Iβm struggling with consistency too.
You are starting over after your foot surgery.
Yes, and not fully either.
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I’m with you – I used to push myself hard toward my goals and I’ve had to slow way down. Now it is a ‘one step at a time’ approach with a “there is no deadline” attitude. Age! haha!
Thatβs a perfect way to describe it! It is one step at a time π
I consistently make mistakes. Have been for years, and my mistake skill set has reached a PhD level easily.
Can you imagine a life without mistakes?
Consistency for me is to continue in the classroom as a teacher. It seems that you reach a few and some you don’t and the key is to keep going until you decide it is enough. Sometimes it is just knowing who is teachable and not taking it personally. The key is also knowing when to let go.
I think you’re correct to know who is teachable. It’s impossible to get everyone’s attention.
and know which things you can work with or around or not….sometimes ‘it is what is it’….if I have ESOL students not speaking or trying in English, I have to move forward.
My son was a long term sub at a very difficult school in the Bay Area for English lit. It was all ESOL students. He was resorting to detention to get their attention. Then a counselor walked into his classroom and told the students in Spanish that they did not have to listen to my son or have detention. That was the end.
It is upsetting that some of them have so little respect for learning English . When I was in another country, I did my best to absorb the culture, respect the language and the people.
So, I do my best and move on.
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Beautiful post I think consistency is one of the most important parts of success! Well shared.ππ
Beautiful post I think consistency is one of the most important parts of success. Well shared thanks π
I think consistency is the most important part of success .well shared ! Beautiful article π
Thank you!
My pleasure π₯° do visit my blog π also.
Will do!
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