Is Your Consistency Helping or Hurting You?
"How beautiful it is, to allow something to be no more, and no less, than what it is. This is why they call it a Happy Medium."
The Balance of Consistency
Think of your strengths as on a volume dial. At some point, all of our skills and habits and patterns came to be in order to protect us and keep us moving forward. That being said, when certain strengths get turned up too loud, they can show up as inflexibility, making it hard to adapt to new circumstances.
The Habit Trap
You've probably got a number of healthy habits you try to stick to, which is great. But sometimes, we get so attached to our habits that in trying to stick to them every day we can override our body cueing us for something different. For example, committing to working out for an hour every day is admirable. But if you're feeling sick, or run down, what you might actually need is a shorter, gentler workout, or even just a good night's sleep. Instead of sticking to the habit of working out, you could stick to the goal of healthy movement and adjust the actual habit to fit your needs that day.
Why We Cling to Habits
It’s easy to fall into the belief that we should be 100% consistent with what we say and do. If a habit has helped us through tough times or brought us to a new level of health or success, we could fear that letting go will mean sliding back into unhealthy habits, giving up, or letting ourselves down. Finally gaining momentum can feel amazing, especially if you’ve been stuck for some time. If you have a pattern of starting and stopping new habits, this isn’t your permission slip to quit - keep pushing your edge and do your best to stay consistent. But notice if that momentum starts to turn into a bulldozer or starts being driven by fear of self-judgment if you take a day off.
The Root of the Issue
It all comes back to your relationship with yourself. Are your habits built WITH your true health and balance at heart, or are you forcing your needs to adapt to the habits you’ve set out? Do a quick check-in: what is your relationship with seeing things through?
When Consistency Becomes a Problem
Our rigid behavior and thought patterns often start from a place of protection and usefulness—until they don't. This is the point where you need to ask: Is my consistency helping me or hurting me?
Flexibility is Key
What doesn't bend, breaks. In nature, survival and thriving depend on adaptability. Sticking rigidly to one way of doing things makes you miss out on opportunities to trust yourself, try something different, and adapt to changing circumstances. This flexibility is what makes us powerful as humans: our ability to innovate and solve problems creatively.
Rethink Consistency
So, what could a more helpful concept of consistency look like? How else can you meet your goals and take care of yourself? Where can you be creative with your daily routine?
Embrace Flow
To me, consistency means going with the flow, even when there is no flow. It’s about consistent self-support and encouragement rather than identical actions each day.
Your Worth Isn’t Tied to perfect Habits
A lack of consistency doesn’t mean you lack worth, ability, or that you're letting yourself down. But if you believe your habits must look a certain way, you end up setting yourself up for burnout, ironically sabotaging the goals you're working so hard to achieve.
Final Thoughts
Ask yourself today: “Is my work ethic helping me or hurting me?
Remember, consistency can be about self-support and encouragement, not just rigid routines and perfect habits.
Additional Resources:
Does your self-care toolkit need freshening up? Self-Care for Big Dreams is an e-book I wrote to give you a simple daily self-inquiry practice that will help you identify what you need that day and then gives you the practices that meet you where you are. Grab your copy here. Learn how to harness the power of your changing needs and remain adaptable (and productive!).
