SarahMozingo.com

Have you ever been in a grocery store and suddenly you hear high-pitch, tortured screams?

As you get closer to these painful cries, you see the culprit. A toddler trying to escape from the torture his mom is obviously putting him through (a.k.a making him put back the Snickers bar).

Some of you may thought this baby is probably just upset about not getting his way, or some of you may know (if you are also a mom or have been around kids) that this child’s tantrum was really, because the poor thing needed a nap.

From personal experience, Izzy goes from being a sweet baby to the Incredible Hulk real quick if his nap time is even altered by twenty minutes. Consistency not only helps with sleep patterns but also daily routine helps foster a sense of security and predictability for children, which reduces stress levels (Education.com, 2019).

Additionally, routine can promote healthy emotional, psychological, and social development in children (Aha! Parenting, 2019). The same can be said for adults. Routine helps us have a sense of control, build healthy habits, better adjust to major life changes, and elevates stress (Northern Medicine, 2019).

Most of us probably have some sort of routine in our lives, but this routine may not necessarily reflect the life you want to have for yourself or your family.

So take a moment to picture what do you want your life to look like?

Now, ask yourself, “Does my daily routine consistently match up to what I envisioned for myself and my family?”

If not, that’s okay. You are not alone. Majority of people probably also answered no. Major lifestyle changes are extremely hard to make, and old habits die hard.

Just think about New Year’s resolutions. How many people successfully accomplish these resolutions?

The University of Scranton discovered that only 8% of 200 Americans complete their New Year’s goals in a timely fashion. Moreover, Strava, also found that most people wave the white flag to their resolutions by January 12th each year.

Obviously, consistently striving for our goals is difficult, and it must take more than writing some words down on a sticky note to put on your mirror for the year for a desired routine to work.

So what are the common reasons why people cannot consistently obtain their desired goal?

1. You are not focused

When I asked you to envision the life you wanted for yourself, you could not see it. Or maybe you have some vision but lack tunnel vision to help steer yourself in the right direction.

In Proverbs 29:18, the Word says, “Where there is no vision. the people perish.” Obviously, we need a goal. An end point. A deadline. A plan.

If you want to lose weight, how are you going to? Set a plan to exercise a few times a week and plan to eat better.

If you want to read more books, give yourself a designated time each day to have your nose in a book. Boom.

2. You are driven by your emotions or physical states, not by your goals.

Okay, vision check. You have decided what you want and have a plan to get it. But you may find yourself failing into the habit of “being too tired” to work out.

Or you had a bad day at work so you don’t feel like reading your devotional today or practicing the new instrument you are trying to learn.

Maybe you and your boyfriend broke up so you want to eat a tub of ice cream every day for the next month.

Are we going to allow our goals to be pushed aside, because we don’t FEEL like it? Or are we going to keep striving regardless?

3. You don’t manage your time wisely.

You say to yourself I’m focused. I am going to obtain my goals and my lifestyle no matter what I feel or not feel to stick to a better life routine.

But in reality, instead of doing your homework or working on that new project, you spend too much time binge-watching Netflix or scrolling through Instagram or Facebook.

You are easily distracted and fill your time with activities that in the moment satisfy you, but you forget about prioritizing the actions you must do to accomplish the big dream you desire to achieve.

When you waste time you could be utilizing, you miss out on opportunities that really matter like that scholarship application or practicing for that recital.

4. You’re being lazy.

Ouch, Sarah. A little harsh.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand how difficult it is to alter years or a lifetime of reinforced bad habits and know it takes time and work to change small ones to create your ideal life.

I don’t underestimate that, but YOU are the only one who can do the work. Not me. Not your parents. Not your siblings. Not your significant other. Only you.

YOU are responsible for changing those habits and consistently striving to reach YOUR set goals.

Eventually, if you are willing to put in the work, these small daily changes will become a routine. Then they will just become your lifestyle.

Someone had to tell you. Sorry not sorry.

Alright, maybe you have fallen in one of those four categories (two or three), but you really are striving for change in your life and want to be more consistent.

So how do we get there?

Here are 3 ways to be consistent:

1.Set realistic, smaller goals and gradually build up.

Alrignt, you want to be more consistent and have decided to commit to these major changes to obtain the life you want. The best way to shift from your current routine (that’s not working) to a better one is by setting smaller goals that are specific and achievable.

Once you accomplish these smaller tasks, your confidence will only build making those once bigger goals seem much smaller and easier. If you start off TOO big and fail, you may become discouraged and backtrack.

2. Have an accountability partner.

Research has shown that people are 65% more likely to complete a goal if they commit it to someone else. Moreover, people are 95% more likely to accomplish that committed goal when they schedule regular meetings with the person they committed the goal too (Wissman, 2018).

Wow, that’s amazing! Sharing your goals with another person increasing your chances of success.

It’s even more helpful when you and that person share a similar goal. You two or maybe even a whole group can support each other as you progress through your journeys.

3. Actually, do the work!

Sounds easy? But in reality, actually doing the work to live a more consistent, goal-driven lifestyle is so hard.

I never said it was easy to change or continuously doing the hard thing over and over. When you are struggling to do this, remember the story of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was tasked by God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonians desolated the city a century earlier. Nehemiah and his men decided to do the hard thing every day until the wall was rebuilt.

They showed up and rebuilt the wall even when they were tired and felt weak; they continued to build even when faced with threats and being mocked by enemies. Instead of quitting, Nehemiah prayed a now famous prayer, “O Lord, strengthen my hands.” And God was faithful to answer his prayers.

52 days later, the walls of Jerusalem were restored, but Nehemiah and his men had to show up and work on this hard tasks every day until they built the life they wanted for their families and people.

When you feel weak, when you want to quit, ask God to strengthen your hands so you can consistently do the hard thing over and over.

Conclusion

Becoming more consistent is not easy; it takes hard work and determination to change long-term reinforced behaviors . You may have resonated with one or two of the reason why people struggle with consistency, but hopefully by setting small goals and gradually building up to more drastic changes, you will achieve them. Also having an accountability partner greatly increases your chance of success, especially if you meet regularly with them. But just remember, you are the ONLY ONE who can do the work. So when you feel weak, tired, and people are telling you that you can’t, ask God to help strengthen your hands.

Which reason really resonated with you? What goals are you hoping to accomplish this year?

Tell me below in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

If you loved this post, feel free to share it with a friend or on Facebook, Pinterest, or other social media! Screenshot the post on your phone to share on Instagram!

Hey friend!

Do you want to stay updated with what’s going on at SarahMozingo.com?

Sign up for newsletter below to receive exclusive FREE products and stay connected with this community!

Let’s stay connected!

Follow @Sarah_mozingo on Instagram and LIKE Sarah Ford Mozingo on Facebook!