So I have read a couple of posts from other authors on this week’s Proof of Brain prompt--consistency. The majority of them defined consistency as a means of excelling through repetition against all odds. I strongly believe this as well but I would like to view things from a different angle by highlighting how consistency makes one life easier.
For those of us that drive or perform any activity regularly, do we ever catch ourselves in the act of doing those activities unconsciously--without thinking or effort? I used to have a lecturer in uni who would come to class without notes and quotes an entire chapter of a textbook effortlessly. Many of his students likened him to a genius but for the few of us who understood what a decade of teaching the same thing does to the brain, it wasn’t much of a surprise.
By performing a task repeatedly over a long period it becomes second nature--effortless. While other people might struggle with the same task, you do the same thing without thinking. This is the level of mastery.
One of the benefits of attaining mastery in any field is that it allows you to pick any other skill without negatively impacting your performance in the skill you've mastered. For instance, It is easy to pick up the guitar if you're a good pianist. Learning how to play the guitar will have no negative effect on your ability to play the piano, on the contrary, it would make you a better guitar player because you understand music/sound.
Furthermore, consistency in any area of our lives gives us a sense of direction and control. This is what Jordan Peterson tags as ‘Order’. Knowing what to expect and when to expect it gives you the unique opportunity to prepare. For example, if I know that birthdays are important to my spouse, I can make sure to prepare for her birthday every year. This makes our relationship less combative and more cordial.
So my advice to anyone trying to put their life in order is to develop good routines and pick up good habits. Doing so puts you on the right path and as you develop a strong routine you begin to notice things working out for you without even putting conscious effort into it. For example, if you write, read and learn every day you will see great improvement in your ability to think and write better articles without having to actively think about it.
In summary, consistency is necessary to living a healthy and balanced life. Also, by being consistent we achieve a level of mastery that makes completing any task effortless.
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