Consistency, Persistence, and Resistance

Here we are, already in the final days of February and springtime is just around the corner! 

Last month we shared a little bit about taking steps towards your health. Remember, it doesn’t matter what size of step you are taking, as long as you are taking steps in the right direction. Now, if we can take it one step further…

How are you doing on your goals for your personal health? When we think about where we’d like to be a year from now, this summer, or even in just a few months it’s important to look at what you are doing. Are you consistent with your plan, are you persistent with your plan, or are you resistant with your plan? If you look at all three of these words, consistency and persistence will ALWAYS beat resistance!

Let’s start with consistency. A good way to be consistent is to make the activity a part of your everyday tasks, get plenty of rest, follow a balanced diet, and resist extreme binges. Now, I know that you might be saying that it’s hard to stay consistent with any of these things listed above, so I encourage you to get an accountability partner. Whether it’s your spouse with encouraging messages or a friend who is willing to meet you at the gym, it’s important to have people in our lives who are supportive of our positive changes! 

Now, for persistence. If you have a goal that seems daunting, break that goal down into smaller pieces and celebrate the milestones when they are reached. Remember, it took Michaelangelo 4 1/2 years to paint the Sistine Chapel. Self transformations aren’t going to happen overnight, so don’t beat yourself up if you’ve been going to the gym for a few days and can’t tell a difference. Keep on pushing and persisting forward and DON’T GIVE UP!  It’s also important to remember that it doesn’t matter when or where in your life you are starting; the important element is that you have started!

Did you know that in 1919 Walt Disney was told that he had no imagination or good ideas? Or, did you know that a concert hall manager told Elvis Presley, after a performance, that he was better off returning to Memphis to drive trucks? Had a beautiful redhead listened to her drama instructors who urged her to find a different profession, we would have never been blessed with I Love Lucy, and Lucille Ball would have never become one of the most recognizable actresses in America. These people kept moving forward and put all of the negativity behind them. They were consistent, persistent, and ignored the resistance!

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.”-Benjamin Franklin

“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins…Not through strength, but through persistence.”

“The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”-Vince Lombardi