Let's talk about
consistency, discipline and ambition
A little story from everyday life that has lessons about consistency, discipline and ambition
I went climbing today—as I have been consistently three days a week over the past month.
(Okay, not so consistently because I was in Finland in between—but besides that break)
The more I commit to regular climbing sessions, the better I get. Of course. But it’s not necessarily about “getting better”. Although that is a nice side effect. It is about what I learn each time I step into the gym.
Yesterday, I tried this very grimpy route, and it didn’t work out quite as I expected it to. There was this one part towards the end where you had to get up on two tiny foot holds by pulling yourself up by holding a volume. I just didn’t have enough strength (seemingly) to get up with that volume.
Today, I tried this route again. Without failing once, I immediately was up on the two little foot holds. Through a new idea of combining not only pulling strength (with the volume) but pushing one of the foot holds with my hand first.
Sometimes, we need a break to realize something has to be done differently.
Anyway, it wasn’t the end of the route. Instead another problem arrived.
You have to know, I am someone who has ambition but very little discipline.
I like to try out things, but I also give up easily. I want to improve that—because it is much more rewarding being disciplined–but it is a process that takes time to implement and remind myself, over and over and over again.
Truth be told, it is easier to give up than keep on going, when things don’t seem to improve. But every time you try anew, your body learns something new and remembers what you did differently. So it DOES get easier, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first.
Anyway, I stayed committed to this one route, I tried different ways to hold myself up on these two tiny foot holds but nothing seemed to work.
So I decided to take a break, do another route in between.
And when I came back for one more round, it worked, perfectly. I flew across the wall smoothly until the very end. My body had remembered every step of the way and my mind had had time to find a more creative solution for the top in the meantime.
What can I say?
Commit. Stay Consistent. Take a break, when your body calls for it. And come back with more ambition and discipline.
And honestly, that is what works for everything in life. Not just climbing, not just yoga. But life in general. How you approach relationships, work, new hobbies, etc.
I wouldn’t be where I am today, if I didn’t stay committed to the practice of yoga and learn from my mistakes and try over and over again.
Let me ask you this, and I invite you to be very honest with yourself:
Where do you tend to quit—and why?
What is asking for patience and rest, rather than pushing forward?
What is already improving in your life that you maybe don’t give yourself credit for?
I think the last question is something we can ask ourselves more often.
I was just doing taxes this morning, and realized how far I have come financially compared to even a year ago. If I hadn’t tried and learned and stayed with what I am passionate about, I don’t think, I’d be writing this today.