To build a habit you have to perform the same routine after the same cue and give yourself the same reward over and over and over and over again to the point where it feels pointless.
Consistency is key.
But it’s not just the key for building healthy habits.
Consistency is the secret key to most everything successful and good in life.
If you want to make a lot of money, you need to work hard consistently. If you want to have a successful business, you have to consistently find new clients and consistently please those clients.
If you want to be good at golf, heck, you’ve gotta be consistent!
The single habit holding us back from our healthiest lives
Consistency is boring. And that’s exactly why it’s so hard. It’s not bright and shiny and fun. Most of the time it sucks. Most of the time we’d much rather do something different. It’s that very moment when we cave for the mind’s need for something different that we lose our habit-building battle. Staying consistent in and of itself is another meta-habit!
Tips for staying consistent
So how do you stay consistent if it’s so hard? Remember those cues in the habit loop? Make them as easy to come by as apple pie. (Which you’ll only be eating if it’s raw, right? 🙂 Also, what does that even really mean, because making apple pie, or any kind of pie, is not really easy. Unless you’re making a raw apple pie, then it actually is pretty easy, but I digress.)
If you’re trying to build a meditation habit, set that meditation cushion right where you can see it.
If you want to drink more smoothies, the blender is going to have to sit on the counter right in front of your face and the kale is going to have to be the first thing you see when you open the fridge. Make it SUPER obvious what you’re trying to accomplish and this will help keep you consistent. It becomes more work to ignore your habit then to just get on with it already!
If it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind, right?
And remember the whole shebang about planning? To be consistent you absolutely must plan. Your habit must be in your calendar somewhere. Plan it for the same time every day. When I teach my private clients, I encourage them to pick a time for our sessions and stick with it. Ever Friday at 9:30 you’ve got private yoga. It becomes automatic. (Sounds kinda nice, huh!)
A final consistency reminder
While consistency seems to be an obvious, inherent part of building a habit, there are far too many people who forget how easy it is to NOT be consistent. And that’s exactly why it bears reminding. I know you’re going to get to the point where you don’t want to do your healthy routine because something less healthy sounds way more fun instead. Stay the course!
Consistency pays off in the end. When you do the same thing over and over again, it becomes less and less hard to continue doing it as time goes on. This is when autopilot kicks on. This is when habits start to gel. And this is when the true lifestyle transformation starts to happen.
So stick with it and stay consistent! It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.
Head on over to the Facebook page and let me know how you’re going to trick your brain into consistency!
