Coffee Talk #203: Becoming Consistent

It’s Tuesday! And today happens to be National Coffee Day, so let’s double that dose and have a chat.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that already, it feels like this week should be done.I’m knee-deep in about 6 open projects. I have the tendency to take over, to lead, to organize, and it’s definitely happening now.  Are you also guilty of cramming ALLTHETHINGS into one or two days? Also, why do we constantly tell ourselves ‘things will calm down after xyz event, or after this week’? I call LIES. LIES. LIES.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I’m SO excited that it’s October this week! It’s been a weird year, but there’s something comforting about the start of fall and pleasant apple and pumpkin scents, and gorgeous fall colors, and warm, fluffy blankets. I’m here and ready for this changing season.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I’m hosting ALL the fall fitness events this month — everything from Yoga +Pumpkins to Power Pilates & Pumpkins to a Spooky Sunday Halloween Class and a Halloween Zumba + Barre. It takes a lot of energy and effort to coordinate these events, but I want to fully celebrate this season. All events are posted on the ‘Class Schedule‘ page.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you the #1 reason I’m able to get so much of this on the calendar and so much accomplished — my daily rituals. There’s a series of things I do to get myself charged and ready to greet each day.

Your success truly lives in your daily habits. I feel successful – maybe not every second of every day – but I’m super proud of being able to create something from nothing, to keep moving with fitness classes when I don’t have a permanent place to host (grateful to the recurring spots like Red Acres and Lockbriar), and that I’m still able work a more ‘guaranteed income’ job to create extra stability (and honestly to fund my need and desire to travel so much).

How do you even start to develop daily rituals? How can daily rituals lead to long term success and reaching your goals? Showing up every. single. day. means that you are serious about your goals and ready for the changes that they bring!

We talked about this in today’s LIVE Coffee Talk Tuesday chat:

(I also shared a special giveaway on the Coffee Talk chat today)

If we were having coffee today, I’d share these tips and steps for becoming more consistent in an effort to reach your desired goal.

First, the reason WHY you want to achieve the goal should be at the forefront of your mind. Why is this thing so important to you? Will it make you feel good? Will it serve others? What will this goal do for you and your future?

Once you’ve established your why…

Steps to become more consistent

1. Isolate one goal. I have a million different things I want to do. A million. I know you do, too. But let’s choose just one. If you isolate just one thing, you have way more likelihood to achieve it.

2. Start your day with that goal. Seriously. Want to drink more water? Start your day with a glass. Feel like you want to work out every day? Start your morning with it. Develop a daily ritual, similar to brushing your teeth. I bet you don’t even think about brushing your teeth, you just do it. Your daily effort toward your goal should be the same thing.

3. Schedule that goal. Do you have a hard time saying no? Do you have a jam-packed schedule? Add your daily task for your goal to your schedule. I literally had to add my workouts to my calendar at one point in my life to show myself (and others who could see my calendar) that those times were spoken for. Write it down. Make it non-negotiable.

4. Make a mistake? Keep going. Forget to drink water in the morning? Drink a glass as soon as you remember. It’s midnight and you’re in bed? Start over the next day. If it’s TRULY your goal and something you want to start doing every day, you’ll find a way to keep going. If you’re having trouble getting it going/remembering every day, maybe it’s not the right goal or it needs to be tweaked to become more realistic.

5. Focus on the process. We’re such an instant gratification society and if we don’t immediately see results, we want to jump ship. Good things take time. Progress takes time. You might see immediate results for some goals, and others take a little more time. Trust that showing up every single day is going to change your life.