The Only Key

​It’s February already! How are your 2021 goals coming along?
 
We all know how common it is for early enthusiasm to wane in the face of everyday life. Ambitions bow to apathy, and soon we find ourselves saying, Well, I’ll start on that next Monday. Or next month. Or next year.
 
And yet, some people manage to do great things. Whatever “great” means. They lose 50 pounds, ride 100s, raise kids on their own, finish triathlons, write books, recover from illness, step away from the rat race, master public speaking.
 
“Great things” are the things that matter to us, as individuals. Are we making them happen? Today, are we doing something to make them happen?

One of my favorite people to watch is endurance athlete Tommy Rivers Puzey. If you’re an iFit member, you’ve probably done his workouts. And if you have, you know he has a gift for simultaneously believing in huge accomplishments while encouraging small steps.
 
“Trust the process,” he says, especially when you feel like you aren’t working as hard as you could or should. “The only key is consistency.”

Trust the process.

The only key is consistency.
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~ Tommy Rivs

Like Rivs, I’m a big fan of process goals. 
 
Want to get that challenging filly trained? Spend some time with her every day – even if you can’t ride, at least get out there and pick up her feet an whisper in her ear.
 
Want to run a 10k? Lace up your shoes and go outside – any pace, any distance – just get out there. Everything counts.
 
Want to lose bodyfat? Choose to cook salmon instead of ordering takeout tonight. Not for the rest of your life, but just tonight. 
 
If you’ve fallen off the wagon on some of your 2021 goals, so what? Hop back on. Zoom in from the end goal to the process. Doing something hard doesn’t mean every step needs to hurt.

An object in motion tends to stay in motion.

I don’t know about you, but I find that the more often I work on something, the more likely I am to keep working on it. This always makes me think of my undergrad physics course. Momentum. An object in motion tends to stay in motion. ​

Today is the day to replace inertia with momentum: Just do something. Then, keep doing that.

​The only key is consistency. ​

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