Why Consistency is Better Than Perfection
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Why Consistency is Better Than Perfection
Life happens.
We can miss a meal because we are too busy, we might forget to track the macros for a day, or have a holiday where we actually enjoy ourselves... we need to establish positive and consistent habits to enjoy the journey.
There will always be moments when our life throws hurdles at us. Focusing on being perfect can set us up for failure and disappointment, and is often masked as a fear of failure. Consistency is working for something, it’s prioritising things and establishing habits - it’s rebounding from failures and setbacks.
The thing is, this is applicable to a number of things in our lives - academically, in the workplace, relationships, training and nutrition.
Consistency looks like…
80 / 20
Room for error and room for success
Accomplishment
Positivity
Perfection looks like…
Pressure
High expectations
No room for error
Unrealistic
Drastic changes aren’t sustainable, changing 5 habits at once can set us up for failure but changing one habit at a time can help us to root healthy habits into our daily routine. Being patient with your journey will allow you to achieve your goals without being distracted by detours.
“Variety is the spice of life and the fuel for motivation. If you vary your workouts, schedule, the foods that you eat or just the way you do something, you’ll end up feeling more motivated to do it.”
Let’s start with a few steps to understand how we can be better at being consistent:
Know your ‘why’
What is your purpose? What is your motivation? Perhaps it’s to reach a goal, your purpose (for parents, this could be keeping up with your children), even the journey itself. Knowing your why can help your goals align with your internal drive and direction. You might even be driven by the inspiration you will bring to others. Having a meaning, a mission behind what you are trying to achieve is a powerful motivator.
What are you doing 80% of the time
Following your routine 80% of the time is a baseline that is easily achievable. If you were to restrict yourself from the things you enjoy, you will only increase your cravings, desires and wants rather than your needs. This is sticking to your schedule as much as possible.
Accountability
How are you going to keep yourself accountable (see our blog here)? Having someone or some way to keep yourself accountable will help to set boundaries and create structure. This is just a small commitment that can be a huge return. Being open with your communication.
Track Progress Over Time
Respect yourself and the journey that you are on. Change isn’t going to happen overnight, or even in a week. If you feel as though things aren’t changing for you, talk with a coach who may be able to help you. Set appropriate expectations, let go of things that you can’t control and focus on the small achievements daily to build self trust.
We’re all human. Sometimes we don’t get the quality sleep that we need, we’re all under too much stress, our hormones can be out of whack and there’s always the disruption of inflammatory ingredients. This is why repetition is so important. We need to have balance and set priorities. Every day, every week can play havoc with being consistent. Learning to rebound from failures and setbacks, detours and distractions can help us to avoid allowing these to have an impact on our personal success.
We like comfort. There’s nothing more attractive to the human brain that success through relative ease, hence the appeal in cleanses and diets that achieve x weight loss in x days. Success comes from determination, focus, diligence and hard work.
There is power in being consistent. Consistency sees us making progress, being better at our work or training, achieving success. We can sometimes confuse being consistent with being perfect, however by being consistent we are allowing ourselves a safety margin for errors, mistakes and emergencies.
Repetition > Perfection
Small gains = BIG results
Do you want to know more tips to help you stay consistent with your nutrition?
References
Consistency is More Important Than Perfection, The Swole Kitchen, June 30 2020, https://www.theswolekitchen.com/blog/consistency-is-more-important-than-perfection
Kapuku, R., Why Consistency Beats Perfection, Medium, December 20 2019, https://medium.com/betterism/why-consistency-beats-perfection-4903d27fe2c8
Odeh, D., Unveiling the Secret to Success - The One Thing it Takes to Succeed, 2020, eBook, Lulu.com