DAY 18: REPETITION BREEDS CONSISTENCY

The statement, “repetition breeds consistency” itself is a tautology because consistency itself is the sum of repetitive efforts. 

A few days ago, I was exhausted and didn't feel like posting anything. I was asking myself “who sent me?”😭.

But then I remembered that I had a made a promise to myself to show up for 31 days. I dragged my lazy self, worked on something and clicked publish. 

The next morning, in my normal spirits, eyes clear, post-laziness clarity hit me. I sat on my bed wondering how guilty I would have felt if I didn't show up that day. Few might have noticed that I had missed a day and nobody would have chided me, but I would have lived with the regret of one missed day.

That has built a resolve for me to continue regardless of how I felt. When my drafts feel empty, I open a word document knowing that as long as I'm ready to show up, God is ready to show off through my fingers. In these past 18 days, I have learnt to rely on God more than myself. 

I have learnt that there is no strict law anywhere that says to take a week of rewrites, edits, and second guessing to get a post ready (used to be my normal routine). I know that every morning, like manna, the Lord will be faithful to His Word, all I have to do is show up.

After days of repetition, I feel like my resolve to continue has solidified. It has less to do with writing for an audience but more to do with honouring my word and trusting God.

"Juliana, this is bold of you to say since you're barely halfway through the challenge"

Yes it is. I have a firm belief that as long as it depends on me, I will be here everyday. I have an even firmer belief that God will help me. If I do fail, I can always dust myself up and continue. Trying again, picking up from where you left off are all hallmarks of people who walked the path of consistency.

Repeating regardless of how I felt has made me consistent. After the excitement of the first few days wore off, it was discipline that kept me going, now it is repetition that is at work. It doesn't feel like a duty anymore, it feels natural, like how I eat everyday. It's not special, it's ordinary. Ordinary because repetition has rendered it a natural part of my daily activities.

If that activity you promised to show up for now feels like a chore, the solution to that is to keep showing up. Your body will readjusts and your mind will rewires itself to accommodate this new essential life skill.

So set a time, set an alarm, your body will adjust, you mind will make space. If you fail, try again. Repeat until it becomes a habit, might take a week, some months or even years but still keep at it until it becomes a reflex.