Excellence Through Consistency
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
Aristotle
Every action you take is a vote for the person you want to become. Thus if you are interested in evolving into your full potential you must be consistent with your daily habits.
Habits that the modern and ancient Greeks follow can seem basic, but they are inherently a part of the Hellenic culture, which supports good health, a happy disposition and a life well lived.
As I am tooling around the mainland of the Peloponnese of Greece, I observe that the people here do things consistently that are in line with a lifestyle of longevity.
I believe that Greek people innately follow a pattern which supports consistency. Since the Greeks are born into this pattern, others unfamiliar to it may more easily relate to James Clear.
James Clear, the author of the # 1 Best selling book ATOMIC HABITS offers three habits, which equate to consistency, to help you stay motivated and succeed.
Associate your habit with something you already enjoy doing. Association with positive action develops a strong cue for the feeling of motivation.
My consistent habit that always leads to more movement and fitness is walking outdoors. Walking is something you can do anywhere you are in the world. Now that I am doing business in Greece and combining the trip with connecting with my roots, I am able to be consistent with my fitness through walking and climbing the stairs vs taking the elevator. That’s my rule in Greece, I always take the stairs over an elevator or an escalator beginning with my arrival at the airport.
The Goldilocks Rule will encourage consistency with habits and activity. Clear says that finding the sweet spot for motivation- where things aren’t too easy or too hard, will support consistency. When things are too easy, you quickly lose motivation to keep doing them because they don’t challenge you. If activities are too difficult (such as a complex task) you/I lose our excitement to continue because they frustrate us. The key is to make the thing you are consistently doing manageably difficult.
Find your why. For me THE WHY is the most valuable and helpful reason to stay with something through thick and thin. Your why to the task keeps you in the game or the race.
THINGS I STAY CONSISTENT WITH INCLUDE:
Eating clean 80 percent of the time and allowing myself treats 20 percent of the time.
Moving my body every day with a 12,000 step minimum.
Morning prayers
Get outside for 30 minutes (While in Greece I’m outside 80 percent of the day, and I love the fresh air.)
Cooking a home cooked meal at least 3 times a week
Walk my beloved pet Athena every day
Wishing you Ola kala - all is well with a life of consistent action leading to at least 1 percent growth every day.
Kisses- Filakia,
Kiki