Posted: May 6, 2024 at 3:43 pm
Without a doubt, one of the most important aspects of achieving any goal is consistent work towards it.
If you wanted to save up to put a down payment down on your first home you need to save money consistently every month.
If you are working on a certain degree in school you have to consistently show up to class, study, do your homework, and so on.
If you read our spotlight on member Jim Hopkins from a couple weeks ago, his top three tips for achieving results were 1) Consistency, 2) Consistency, and 3) Consistency
I was recently promoted to black belt (“shodan”) in judo. To be honest I was not particularly gifted in that art … it was not something that came naturally to me. But, I kept showing up consistently. I attended the Tue+Thu classes week in and week out for years, and I credit my progress over that time not to any natural ability, but to my consistency.
How do you apply this to your life and your goals?
First off, start with realistic expectations. Working out six days per week is unrealistic for most people, even me (and I spend around 60 hours per week in the gym). Can you commit to 2x per week? That’s what I did with judo … and a few years later I was awarded a black belt. You can achieve great things with 2x per week.
Secondly, you are going to have to say “no” to other things in order to get your workouts in. The weather forecast here in Portland is showing our first stretch of 80+ degrees and sunny since last summer. Some people will still come into the gym and train … others will go be out in the sunshine.
I’m certainly not trying to knock anyone for enjoying the sun, but I am trying to bring your attention to the fact that you have to make some choices, and if your fitness goals are important to you then you should probably go out in the sunshine after your workout, not in lieu of it. Of course, the sunshine is just one of many examples, I am sure you can read between the lines and think of more on your own.
-Tony
