When it’s late at night, and you haven’t written, but you’re trying not to miss a day of writing…
It’s past midnight…
I believe that to achieve excellence in any endeavor, you must commit to working on your pursuit every day. Every day is not a figure of speech. Every day means every day. Of course, there will be disruptions or planned breaks, but, still, excellence requires an everyday commitment.
Imagine doing something every day for three years. Let’s round it up, and say that this adds up to a thousand days. Every day for a thousand of days. Do you think you will improve in your endeavor? Running? Writing? Learning a language? Going to the gym? Studying for some degree or certification? Playing guitar? Helping your kids with their homework? Saving money? Calling your aging parents? Saying “I love you” to your partner? Working on your start-up? “Unsticking” from your questionable habits, like drinking?
While there’s never a guarantee of extraordinary success, there is no doubt that one will see a huge improvement and likely a spectacular transformation. A thousand days sound like a long time, but it can also seem insignificant in light of the improvement achieved.
Damn, I sound like a self-improvement guru. I don’t like motivational speakers or self-improvement books. But I know the truth — for all my failures and imperfections (I have many!) — I’ve been fortunate to experience the transformation I’m talking first hand.
Three years ago, I started running. Granted, I had always enjoyed running, so it’s not like I started building a habit out of something totally alien to me. Still, running every day isn’t a trivial commitment. Running became my unbreakable habit. Did I run today? Of course. Twice, actually. Six miles in the morning before breakfast, and then I did hill repeats in the evening.
Two and half weeks from now, I will run my fourth marathon in less than two years, trying to improve from 2.46 to under 2.45. That kind of time is exceptional for a forty-three-year-old who was never an athlete — not that I feel old. Secret? Consistency. I also see opportunities to build a business or two around my hobby.
After my first marathon in October of 2021, I committed to writing on Medium. I must admit that compared to running, I’ve broken the everyday rule. But I’m trying! I’ve been very consistent. It’s been a great experience, and I feel many new opportunities are ahead of me. I want to become a respected author and I want to be on different platforms!
Where else can I replicate this success?
Well, for one thing, I’m laser-focused on staying consistent with the two activities I mentioned. I’ve made a good start, but I can achieve much more in the coming years. Consistency can’t be breached, by definition.
I also want to apply consistency to breaking my bad habits. Easier said than done. But I’ve started trying.
Well, I’ve just written a boring self-improvement story on Medium because I couldn’t skip a day of writing.
My dog Astra loves playing with tennis balls. She’s very consistent at it. And good too.
