from the vault: on consistency

"You’re like a browser with 47 tabs open"

Honesty hour: consistency has not always been my greatest strength. As an Enneagram 7 (more on that in a future post), I can be a bit impulsive at times.

Oh, Enneagram 7s—the human embodiment of “What’s next?” You’re like a browser with 47 tabs open, all playing music, while you’re simultaneously planning a vacation, learning a new hobby, and wondering why you feel so overwhelmed. Commitment? Never heard of it. You’d rather dive headfirst into 10 new adventures than sit with an uncomfortable emotion for five minutes.

-ChatGPT roast of an Enneagram 7

Damn ChatGPT, you didn’t have to go that hard…

Historically, I have been the type of person who wants to do all the things and says “yes” to too many without pausing to assess whether I actually have the time or energy for them — which is essentially the opposite of consistency.

Can you blame me?? There’s just so much in this world I want to do and see, so many people I want to spend time with, and so many hobbies and ideas I want to explore! But over time I have recognized that, even though I want to do it all, not everything in life is worth pursuing.

Each day, I am learning to reign in my impetuous urges, identify the things I truly desire and value, and build consistent practices that bring me closer to my goals. While still somewhat of a “yes woman”, I now try to make sure the things I say yes to are only those that light my soul on fire.

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On consistency

Published 3/28/17

In junior high, everyone was required to take an elective course, one class chosen for pure enjoyment or for the sake of learning a new skill. While many of my friends wasted the opportunity for higher learning on frivolous subjects such as cake decorating, puppeteering, and scrapbooking, I elected a more serious, practical option. I took bowling.

A novice to the sport, I was only slightly intimidated when one of my classmates showed up to the bowling alley on the first day with her own ball and personalized carrying bag. After a brief speech on safety by a guy who clearly hated his job, we begun building the fundamentals and sharing pro tips about mastering the technique. You know, it's all in the wrists. I pretty much had my dramatic walk from the ball machine to the foul line perfected when the training wheels were ripped off as it was announced we were not allowed to use bumpers. Amateur hour was over.

Every Tuesday and Thursday we piled into minivans to hit the lanes, which began to feel like we were attending a really lame birthday party again and again, except there wasn't any cake. I discovered I was an extremely mediocre bowler. It was a rare and greatly celebrated occasion when my score entered into the coveted 100's. At the end of the course, the teacher prepared to hand out a trophy for the best pair of bowlers. The group began excitedly whispering names of people they assumed would get the award. Needless to say, neither me nor my equally-mediocre partner's names were in the mix. However, to my (and everyone else's) genuine surprise, our names were called out as we were handed the magnificent pieces of cheap plastic.

It was later explained that our scores were so consistently "good enough" and close to each other that we somehow achieved an overall average higher than that of any other team. I wasn't sure who was doing the math here, but I certainly wasn't about to object. Much too humble to deliver a victory speech, I quietly accepted the trophy (read: I bragged about it for days).

It has been quite some time since I achieved this milestone in my life, but it is only now that I am starting to realize the practical implication. It is not necessarily true that to excel at something you have to be great or the best, but if you continually produce the same good results or repeat certain actions or behaviors, over time you can reach success. It is also said that what is consistent in your life is your life.

Accepting this acknowledges that it is often difficult to be consistent. It takes intention, determination, and focus. I will be the first to admit that this is something I have struggled with. I have my bad days, I'm sometimes lazy, and I forget too easily how much energy and work it takes to maintain a positive lifestyle. However, I realize at the end of the day, what I will be judged on are those small efforts that I repeat day in and day out. Consistency builds character, trust, leadership, happiness, and love, and if we practice it, we can achieve great things.

walk boldly,

Caroline