consistency

Consistency

I restarted going to the gym this year. It has been such a huge lesson for me. You see, I am the kind of person who wants to see things through. I want to see the end goal. I am the person who wants to take on anything that comes my way. I want to face things head-on. I don’t duck away from taking on challenges. It may seem like I am talking nonsense; let me explain.

Like many people, I struggle with consistency. Over the years, I’ve learned that there are about 1 to 3 things I’m consistently good at, no matter what. Writing code is one of those things. I know it sounds trivial, but when I am in front of my computer, I feel like I am Superman. I love to do this. It’s like a first love of sorts. If I am away from my computer, it feels like I am not doing anything important.

At the beginning of the year, I started asking myself why I am consistent in some things and not in others. It took me a while, but I finally understood why. There are two main reasons I feel consistent at my job. One is that I love doing it, and the second is the outcome.

Doing What I Love

I’ve found that I love software development. It has intrinsic value. It makes me feel some way. Like that first crush you had in high school. Whenever you saw her, it felt like magic. It’s the same feeling I get when I do this. It is easier for me to do. As some may recall, I joined this field because it was a childhood dream. It still is. It’s easier. It’s just something that you can do even without getting paid. As some say, love your job or job your love, whichever version.

A lesson for me is that if I love something deeply, I am willing to show up for it and be consistent around delivering. It’s super simple, and the level of commitment is just always available.

The Outcome

One thing that kept me from being consistent at the gym was that it felt like it had no end goal or outcome. My thought process was that something must start and must end. If I start going to the gym, when is this enough? I likened it to developing software: you get a product you ship, and users can use. This was a bad analogy. Software development doesn’t end. This is why it’s called the Software Development Life Cycle. It’s because it’s a continuous process. It is a lifestyle. The destination isn’t the end; it’s the gains you make at each step. When you go to the gym consistently, your body changes; that’s your MVP. But you keep iterating forever. Because software doesn’t get a final version, it can grow and mature, but you never stop building and improving. Same with the gym model: you don’t stop; you keep improving, keep working hard.

It’s been such a huge unlock for me to look at it from this perspective.

Taking Too Much Load

I said at the start that I suffer from taking on too much. I am curious; I want to know things and explore. Now with AI, it may feel like you know so much because you can prompt a model and feel like you have the knowledge you need. The issue for me didn’t start with AI; I have been this way. For example, at the start of last year I wanted to do too many things. By the end of the year, I had things at 50%onrogress that I needed to do. This sucks! Doing more focused work is better than so many items being in progress. For this reason, I decided I will do one thing, do it well, and be consistent about it, then translate that into other areas.

Excuses

I work at a frontier company, I have a family, and I’m building a small startup. Do I have time to do other things? I bet you do. I read something late last year that has become one of my favorite quotes: “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” I thought to myself, my mind keeps making excuses that I don’t have time to go to the gym or do something else. I have a 9-5 and a 6-10. I can’t. I told myself that moving forward, something is going to give. Something has to happen, or I will stay where I am. So since then, I changed my cycle. I wake up at 5 AM every weekday to head to the gym and get back around 7:45. [The gym opens at 6 AM BTW Lol]. I have to suffer. I have to sacrifice something. I have to give something. I chose that. It helps me. My days are better because conquering that first thing in the morning makes me feel better about myself.

Lessons

Life in general is full of surprises. You have to take ownership of it. You must learn to take control and be on top of your choices. Being consistent is one of those choices. I tell myself that even when I don’t feel like doing something, I have to do it. Nothing comes easy. I used to think that some people are just advantaged; yes, some are, but even then, they have something to offer. What do you have to offer?