Day 85: Spirit of Consistency

 

I saw a friend's post the other day and it read "Spirit of Consistency possess me". It got me thinking...

Isn't it funny how we beg supernatural forces to take control of us? We're all just walking around, hoping some external power will suddenly make us do the things we already know we should be doing.

Like, imagine a world where instead of praying for money, people just prayed to actually use their gym memberships. "Dear Lord, possess me with the spirit of actually showing up to that spinning class I've been paying for since January."

But here's the thing, consistency isn't some mystical force that randomly chooses its victims. It's more like that friend who always shows up to help you move house. Not particularly exciting, definitely not glamorous, but bloody reliable.

The Unsexy Superpower

Consistency is probably the least sexy of all the success principles. It doesn't make for good Instagram content, does it? No one's posting:

"Day 347 of doing exactly the same thing I did yesterday. #blessed #hustle #slightlyboredbutcommitted"

We're all waiting for the dramatic transformation montage like in the movies you know, where the protagonist goes from hopeless to hero in a three-minute sequence while inspirational music plays. But real life transformation happens in the quiet moments nobody applauds you for.

There's this story about the ancient Greek wrestler Milo of Croton. Legend has it that he built his incredible strength by carrying a newborn calf every single day. As the calf grew into a bull, Milo's strength grew with it not overnight, but day by day, gradually, consistently.

No magic. No shortcuts. Just showing up and lifting a slightly heavier calf than the day before.

The Bible is basically a massive endorsement for consistency when you think about it.

Noah didn't build the ark in a weekend DIY frenzy fuelled by caffeine and panic. Genesis doesn't specifically mention how long it took, but scholars estimate it was somewhere between 55-75 years. Imagine hammering away at the same project for decades, with your neighbours laughing and the weather still perfectly lovely.

That's consistency, innit?

The Science of Showing Up

The modern self-help industry loves to dress up basic principles in fancy language, but sometimes the science actually backs it up.

In his book "Atomic Habits", James Clear (who's made a fortune essentially telling people to be consistent) talks about how tiny 1% improvements compound over time. He argues that if you get 1% better each day for a year, you'll end up 37 times better by the end.

Mathematically, it checks out. But have you tried getting 1% better at something every day? It's about as exciting as watching paint dry.

There's also this fascinating study from the University College London that found it takes an average of 66 days for a new behaviour to become automatic. Not the 21 days that gets thrown around in motivational seminars, but a full 66 days of showing up and doing the thing before it starts feeling natural.

That's over two months of pure, unadulterated consistency before your brain even begins to cooperate.

The Consistency Paradox

Here's where it gets a bit philosophical...

Consistency is simultaneously the easiest and hardest thing to do.

Easiest because the instructions are painfully simple: just do the thing, then do it again tomorrow, then the next day.

Hardest because... well, have you met humans? We're basically designed to resist sameness. Our brains are wired to notice change, not constancy. It's why you don't feel your socks after you've had them on for five minutes, but you absolutely notice a pebble in your shoe instantly.

There's a reason why Jesus had to tell the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Some seeds fell on rocky ground and sprang up quickly, but withered because they had no root. Others fell among thorns and were choked out.

But the seeds that produced a crop? They were the ones that fell on good soil consistent, reliable, unchanging good soil. Not exciting soil. Not "disruptive" soil. Just... good, boring soil doing its job day after day.

How to Actually Be Consistent (Without Losing Your Mind)

So how do we actually become consistent without completely losing the plot? A few thoughts:

Lower the Bar (Seriously)

We're all trying to do too much at once. Want to be consistent? Make the daily task so embarrassingly small that you'd feel like a complete muppet for not doing it.

Want to write consistently? Start with 50 words a day. Want to exercise consistently? Start with one push-up. Want to meditate consistently? Start with 30 seconds.

BJ Fogg, a behaviour scientist at Stanford, calls these "tiny habits" and argues they're the gateway to bigger change. Not because tiny habits directly create massive results, but because they help you build an identity as someone who shows up. Every. Single. Day.

Create Ridiculous Accountability

Find the most embarrassing consequence possible if you don't follow through. In his book "Finish," Jon Acuff suggests accountability that feels like "public humiliation." Perhaps a bit extreme, but you get the point.

Fall in Love with Systems, Not Goals

Goals are sexy. Systems are not. Goals get applause. Systems get blank stares.

But here's the thing goals are just momentary victories. Systems are how you win the war.

The diligent aren't necessarily the smartest or the most talented they're just the ones who show up with a reliable system day after day after day.

The Final Thought

So maybe instead of praying "Spirit of Consistency possess me," we should simply acknowledge that consistency isn't possessed it's practiced.

Day after day. Decision after decision. Moment after moment.

Let us practice consistency

Because that's what we do now!