Consistency is a skill, not a personalitY trait
First Monday of the year and (if you are anything like me) I’m sure your motivation levels are through the roof!! It’s always a great feeling to have a whole year ahead of us, full of opportunities to be whoever we want to be and achieve whatever we set our minds to. At this time, when motivation and excitement are high, it’s easy to be consistent with the things we are starting. This is why gyms are packed every January, people avoid alcohol for a whole month, and it looks like everyone’s eating patterns are at their healthiest. But when motivation fades… how do we stay consistent?
I used to think that the ability to be consistent (in any area of our lives) was a personality trait. And for a while, that made sense. Some people just seemed more inclined to repeat actions and stick with them than others. And if you weren’t born with it, it felt like the people who were consistent must have had an “easier life”: no kids, no crazy schedules, no house to take care of, not a lot of work, and none of those real-life thingys. But when I looked closer I realized that the people who were consistent did not have perfect lives. Some woke up at 4 am to get a workout in before their kids were awake. Some trained after a night shift because otherwise they wouldn’t have the energy. Some worked out postpartum, using their baby as “weight.” Others squeezed in a 15-minute workout in the middle of the day because their workload didn’t allow for a full gym session. None of these people had the perfect scenario. None of them had tons of spare time or easier lives. But they all showed up day after day. And that’s when I realized something important: CONSISTENCY ISN’T A PERSONALITY TRAIT. IT’S A SKILL.
If consistency were a personality trait, people would never become consistent later in life. So what we call “discipline” is usually just a combination of good systems, skills and environment. And that’s actually a great thing, because from now on, instead of saying you’re inconsistent, you can say you’re untrained in consistency haha Jokes aside, science supports this idea. According to the principles of habits and neuroplasticity, the brain learns through repetition. Every repetition (aka every time you show up) strengthens neural pathways. This idea is explained by Hebb’s Law, often summarized as “neurons that fire together, wire together.” The more a behavior is repeated, the more efficiently the brain wires that action, increasing the likelihood of doing it again in the future. In other words, consistency improves BECAUSE OF PRACTICE, not before it. And while motivation can help you start something, you don’t actually need motivation to keep going, or even to begin. What you really need is repetition.
So how do you stay consistent when motivation fades, or when you don’t feel motivated at all but still want to achieve something? The answer is understanding that habits are context-dependent, not willpower-dependent. They rely far more on cues and environment than on motivation. Willpower will always fluctuate, but systems won’t. That’s why consistency comes from increasing the likelihood that you’ll take action by creating an environment where doing the thing becomes a no-brainer and, eventually, a habit. Habits reduce cognitive load, which means less decision fatigue and a higher chance of staying consistent. In real world language, this looks like: being realistic when setting goals; making expectations more flexible; letting go of the all-or-nothing mindset; and remembering that doing a little every day is far more effective than giving 100% one day and nothing for the next five.
Consistency is built through repetition, by reducing friction and anchoring habits to existing routines, like working out after your morning coffee, leaving your running shoes by the door, or setting out your gym clothes the night before. And just as important as starting is practicing the skill of restarting. It will never be perfect, but instead of quitting when things don’t go as planned, you simply begin again. You don’t need more motivation, and you don’t need to be born a “consistent” person. You need systems that support you. You’re not broken, you’re just untrained. And the goal isn’t to never stop, it’s to always restart.
