We’re now into the seventh week of 2021. Did you make resolutions? Are you still practicing them? Resolutions are notoriously difficult to keep. And even having a yearly word to guide you can be difficult. As I journey with the word “consistency,” I’m now struggling in what it means for me and what I want to accomplish this year.
Sitting with this word has become a grind. It’s uncomfortable. Consistency requires more of me that what I want to give at the moment. It requests that I pay attention to it, learn from it, and gain wisdom for life. These requests require me pushing through those times when I just don’t feel like it.
Take today for example. I should have written this yesterday, but I let the day get away from me and now I’m up at 5:30 am making coffee and typing on my laptop in my kitchen. Did you hear that…I let the day get away from me. I didn’t push through my “I don’t feel like it” and chose to focus on non-important things like responding to email.
I’m reminded of an article from Success Magazine interviewing Jocko Willink, a former Navy Seal who now does organizational leadership consulting. He’s intense, like a level 852 out of 10. The writer highlighted how Willink does two workouts a day, gets up super early to get the first one in, and is so highly disciplined he gets more done in one day than five people. Willink attributes his discipline and ability to get lots done in a day to this idea of push through. Doing what we don’t feel like doing so we can help more people and get the most out of life.
Sometimes we need an external reminder or motivator when things become a grind. We need a mental reset button when we start thinking, what am I doing this for? Can’t this wait until tomorrow? I don’t REALLY have to do this today. For me, today, Jocko is my reminder. If I push through my desire to give up, put off, and procrastinate, I can get so many things accomplished!
Questions to ponder: How do I push through difficult, boring, or uncomfortable tasks to make the most of my time and energy? What might need to change so I can get more done every day?
Stay curious friends!