Finding religion in consistency

I had a knee problem a few years ago. No injury, exactly, but a lot of pain. I went to my sports medicine specialist who did an MRI who, to my great relief, told me there was no permanent damage. He thought my patella was just tracking off center so he sent me to a physical therapy specialist to work on the problem.

When I left his very extensive and expensive consultation on the Upper East Side, I had several sheets listing the exercises I was to do every day, at least two times a day, for the next month.

When I returned still complaining of the knee pain, he asked me, “have you been doing your exercises?”

“No religiously,” I said.

“Well then, get religion!” he said. And had me book another appointment in two months.

I rolled my eyes the entire way home complaining inside my head I didn’t have enough time to get this done every day. How can anyone devote so much time to something so silly. But I started doing the exercises.

And my knee hurt.

I did the exercises. Twice a day. Every day.

And my knee hurt.

And I did them again the next day.

And my knee hurt.

And again. And again. And again. And I was on the verge of giving up many times. Every day, in fact, something got in the way. But I made the time for my exercises.

And my knee hurt.

And I kept on doing the exercises. Because I had an appointment with my extensive, expensive, sarcastic doctor coming up.

And about 6 weeks in, I got up in the morning. And I went through most of my day. And about dinner time, I realized, my knee didn’t hurt anymore.

And it hasn’t since.

So what is the moral of the story? No matter what you’re working on. No matter how silly it may seem at the time. No matter how annoying it may be. No matter how much time you’ve decided you don’t have for it.

Consistency and persistence matter.

In fact, they can be the difference between success and failure.

It’s not the strong who survive. It’s the most adaptable. And you become adaptable through persistence.

The tortoise doesn’t beat the hare because he’s slow and safe and the hare is fast and reckless. He wins because he’s persistent and consistent.

So understand the things you need to be consistent about. Personally. Professionally. You know what they are. Chances are you’ve been pushing these things back into the recesses of your mind, subconsciously hoping they’re not that important.

But they are. Start doing them. Again. And Again. And again.

Get religion.

The results will almost surely surprise you.

Here endeth the story. Apply it to what you’re doing today.