What day is it?

The last month since I tapped out a blog post has passed in a blur and I don't really know where it went. On a few occasions I have sat down in front of the computer but I've been at a loss as to what I wanted to write. Each time staring blankly at the screen in a daze before closing the lid on my efforts.
A podcast I listen to this week though reminded me of the importance of consistency and what can happen if we stick with it.

All to often we might create a healthy habit in order to fix a problem yet abandon it when we feel good. Once out of the newly developed routine we quickly fall back into old habits, after all it's easy after years of learning that. It's a frustrating experience and one that we go through time and time again, just think about all those new year's resolutions!

Personally what I have found over the last year is that unless something is stupidly easy to do everyday I won't do it. As my Dad always says "with the best will in the world" it ain't going to happen! All too often I set out with great plans of what I will do, yet get bored, distracted or just move onto something else before any real success is produced. So in order to achieve results I actually have to break things down to small achievable actions. By small I mean tiny, as simple as brushing your teeth (although even that seems to be a struggle for me). Something that you can wake up and do before your brain says, "hang on there's this easier habit you've done for the last 20 years..."

My inconsistent writing is something that I guilt trip myself about all the time. I will generally only write when I have the TV off (I'm a man and have the attention span of a Red Setter on acid), so when I sit down to watch some Iron Fist writing takes a back seat. Or I try and write in front of the TV, error. On this occasion I have prised myself away from watching my programmes in order to write a few lines. The reason I do this is because unless I sacrifice a little time each day to invest in writing I won't actually get any better at it. Nor will there be a cathartic effect unless I am consistent. I may not have goals of being a best selling author, but I like my mind feeling a little more "stable" and a little less "stabby".

I have no idea where I was going with this post, so forgive me. What I must do now is simply type a bit each day, because it is a free form of Prozac to me. With that in mind I'll leave you with a quote from someone much wiser and more historic than myself, in the hope that you too might keep plugging away with whatever you are working on.

Tom :)

"We are what we consistently do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle