Just Keep Going

It’s hard to stick to new stuff.

We sign up to new things all the time – fitness regimes, ideas, podcasts, committees – and the initial burst of enthusiasm is usually enough to sustain the first days and weeks. After that, things start to fall away. Life happens. We miss a day, and then another of our fitness regime. We forget about that podcast we were into. We see the committee meeting in our calendar and groan a little, because we know we’ve got nothing to report this time. Things take longer to happen than we expect, and we lose faith and energy in the interim.

No matter how committed we are to something in principle, sustaining momentum is hard for everyone. Sometimes we get stalled because we’re waiting on someone or something else to happen and that delay becomes a killer. Sometimes, we just drop the ball. We know this, we live this – and yet we still launch into every new thing as though it will be different this time.

Epiphanies are exciting, but they’re not the stuff that transformation is made of. Real transformation might need a catalyst to get started, but after that, it’s about showing up and doing the work.

When you’re trying to lose weight, it really doesn’t matter what system you pick - if you stick to it, even when you’re not seeing the results you want initially, it will work. Personal or organisational change is the same – it’s far more about consistency than about creativity.

Sustain big change by taking small, incremental steps, and building the systems that make doing the right thing the easiest – or only - option. Plan for obstacles ahead of time, so you respond well when they hit (because they will). Know there will be a lag time between all your brilliant action, and seeing the results, and stick with it anyway. Assume that some days you will probably suck, and create habits, prompts, and routines that nudge you in the right direction even when things seem too hard.

Your initial commitment might give you the push, but you need momentum to keep moving – and as time goes on, your base level rises, so that even Sucky You is 10x better than Old You.

You will get there. Just keep going.