Be Consistent! But how?
“Consistency is what takes something you do and turns it into a lifestyle.”
“Be stronger than your excuses.”
Who doesn’t like a good background story:
So I went through 5 years of medical school! I feel like the phrase ‘medical school’ could be synonymous with any of the following: BUSY, HECTIC, FAST-PACED, PRACTICALLY MINIMAL TIME FOR SELF, EAT LIVE AND BREATH INFORMATION! It’s hella mawd (crazy). All that is to say that I know what it is like to have a work/school schedule that seems to run your life for you. It leaves minimal to no time and creates minimal to no space for you to devote to other important aspects of your life. I’m right there with you.
What happens when you allow this trend to continue? Let me tell you about my third year of medicine. Just to add some context, the third year of my medical program marks the transitioning from the Pre-clinical phase (didactic learning) to the Clinical phase (clinical teaching). It comprises of rotations in Internal Medicine, Paediatrics and General Surgery. This trio in addition to the change in environment and teaching styles collective make up one of the hardest years of medical school! To keep my head above water, I went CTRL-ALT-DELETE on anything that was not related to medicine. I passed my rotations…but a huge part of my life suffered as a result. The stress and my poor coping mechanisms took a toll on me. By the end of third year, I was so drained, mentally, physically and emotionally. I lost weight. Overall, I was not happy.
I vowed to myself that no matter what changed in my life, I will never let my health take the back seat. Zealists, in the roughest and toughest of schedules, you have to have a security plan in place that ensures the sustainability and preservation of your consistency. This is because no matter what the goal is, you cannot reach it without being consistent.
Now let’s talk about Consistency:
I am going to give you five pearls to help you level up on your consistency game. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I was able to go from working out once a week, to 3 days a week to 5 days a week (for a total of 4 weeks!). Amazingly, you can apply these pearls to ANY goal you are working towards.
I want you to get fed up of making excuses, the lack of results, frustration, your current narrative. Get fed up of not being where you want to be. Until you get sick and tired of the constant cycle you are stuck in, nothing will change!
This is about really being honest with yourself about who you are and what you want out of life.
First self:
Without love of self, it will be very difficult for you to discern what you need and don’t need in your life to ensure that you get the best out of this life.
Build unshakable self love and awareness.
Reflect on where you may have gone wrong, what is and is not working. You may have to forgive yourself, for things done or not done in the past.
You don’t have to have it all figured out, I too am learning as I go, but at least have a core idea of who you are and what you stand for.
Second your goals:
Define the life you want for yourself.
I dare you to dream big. Make those dreams clear in your mind. Tell yourself everyday that you deserve them. Write them down.
When you begin to doubt yourself….just when you feel like giving up, always come back to this, come back to your ‘why’.
Replace the excuses, self doubt, self pity with motivation, determination, responsibility, yearning, desire and ZEAL. Zealist, you have to get intense about this. Anything you want is yours. However, it won’t just be handed to you. You have to want it BADLY and go after it! Tap into the things that motivate you and surround yourself with them. Purge your room, social media and life of anything that does not fuel your zeal.
Once you have defined your goals, you want to find out what it will take to get you to where you want to go. This will require some research. Check the internet, books, experts, friends and family. Plug into anything that gives you the knowledge you need…like this blog! Remember knowledge is power!
Now that you have the knowledge, make your plan. Outline it in detail and set timelines. Then, find a way to keep track of your progress. My way of doing this is bullet journaling (I will be doing a post on the awesomeness that is bullet journalling in due course)! Within this plan, be sure to include checks and balances that will keep you accountable. These could be in the form of people or things. Have a partner, friend or family member to remind you of your why when you start to feel overwhelmed. Connect with like-minded people and reciprocate keeping each other accountable. Sometimes, just watching their progress on the day you don’t feel like getting out of bed may be enough to get you going. As soon as you have your plan and checks and balances in place, GET GOING and DON’T STOP!