“I don’t seem to be making any progress. I keep working out but I am not losing any weight. I just am not seeing any results,” my friend lamented.
They were right, too. In the year that I had been seeing them in the gym they really had not changed. They were still overweight and struggling through their workouts.
I was not really sure what to say. I had a good idea of why they were not making progress. They would work out for a day or two and then take a day or two off. I would see them in the gym one day and then I might not see them for a week. When I would ask about their weekend, they would tell me how much they ate and drank.
I am not a personal trainer but I think I can point out my friend’s problem in one word: “Consistency.” Consistency is one of the primary building blocks of success. The most successful people in life are also the most consistent. They show up. They do the work. The take the necessary steps to get to where they want to go.
My wife, Annie, has dropped about fifty pounds over the last year and a half. The key to her success has been her consistency. Annie is in the gym almost everyday. She seldom misses her workouts. She had never enjoyed going to the gym and had never developed the exercise habit. That is until her consistency started to pay off.
After showing up everyday for a few months, she started to see some results. Actually, the people around her started commenting on how she was losing weight. Then, many of her clothes were too big for her and she needed to buy a new wardrobe. (That in itself would motivate most people!)
One of the negatives of Western culture is that we want what we want right now. Most of the good things in life take some time. Most of the changes we want in our lives are going to take a while. Consistency, however, is the fuel that is going to get us where we want to go. Taking those small steps of going to the gym when you don’t feel like it, not having that second helping of food, saying “no” to Burger King for lunch, these steps all add up to significant change.
Of course, consistency applies to every area of our life. How many people have started a blog, only to have it fizzle out after a few weeks? How many people talk about getting out of debt but refuse to take the small step of paying more than the minimum on a high credit card balance every month? Small steps will add up but you have to take them.
What area do you need to be more consistent in?
Annie and I are serving the Lord in Curitiba, Brazil. We are training leaders and helping plant churches. Would you consider becoming a part of our team? Your investment in our ministry will help us impact many lives. Just click here to get involved. Obrigado!
