The secret to doing better at EVERYTHING

I’ve discovered the key to life, the universe and everything.  It is not 42.  It’s consistency.

Looking at anyone more successful in an area of their life, I realize it’s because they have more consistency.  If I got up five mornings a week and did 20 minutes of ab work, I’d probably have a six pack too.

The trouble is that we all have to prioritize what we’re consistent at.  There are only so many hours in a day, and we only have so much discipline before something has to give so we can have flex-time for our emotional well being.

I’d love to consistently meal plan, go to spin class, do yoga, run, practice positive parenting, switch out my children’s toys, get them outside, teach them new things, take time for myself, make healthy home-cooked meals, go to bed with a clean house, maintain my friendships, stay on top of my volunteering, and sleep eight hours a night.

It’s just not possible.

Every day is a new chance to do well in some of those categories, but it’s not possible to do well in every category every day.

It can be frustrating not to see results in your running, or positive parenting, or healthy eating.  That’s when it helps to prioritize that specific goal and work harder at it until you see progress.  Once you’ve seen improvements, you can find ways to make it a habit.

I wish the answer to life, the universe and everything were easier.  The answer isn’t kale… it’s kale on a regular basis, and limiting refined sugars on a regular basis.  It’s the sum of all the moments in a day, week, month that we are able to take time to be patient with your young children and practice active listening, or wait for them to struggle with the zipper.  It’s not scheduling one date night with our spouse, it’s being polite to each other every day when we’re living busy, and very different, lives.  It’s not how hard we work out, but how often we work out hard.

It’s not easy.  There are so many books and websites telling us how to eat better, run faster, be more organized… but the trick isn’t really the “how” is it.  The trick is just doing it… consistently.

Ugh.