Consistency Matters

One of the main reasons Jen and I started this Inherent project is because we believe the world is so noisy these days, it's easy to lose track of what really matters.

Deep down, most of us know the value of consistency.  We see its power when we shed the filters that skew our ability to see reality.  These filters are things like our cultural programming and what I call our 'survival code.' (I’ll dive deeper into both in future posts.).  Essentially, our very social nature as a species coupled with the way our culture has developed inclines us to focus on results instead of the process as what matters.  This leads to us seeing right past the hard work that must be put in to get the results. We celebrate the outcomes while often ignoring the daily grind that made them possible. But if you look at the truly great, what do they do?

They put in the reps.
They show up, day after day.
They engage in the process.
They embrace the hardest kind of hard work: consistency.

"Luck has nothing to do with it, because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time."
— Serena Williams

"Nothing will work unless you do."
— Maya Angelou

"Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t."
— Jerry Rice

I’m Consistent Too—Just Not Always in the Ways I’d Like

Not to toot my own horn, but I am consistent. I consistently:

• Worry about things out of my control

• Get distracted to avoid meaningful work

• Talk too much and listen too little

• Feel righteous and judge others

• Make weird food choices when I’m stressed

In other words, I’m consistently human—and a human raised in present-day America.

So, while I might not be a beacon of greatness, what you’re reading right now is a step in the right direction. This blog is my consistency challenge. I’m committing to writing and posting every week. I won’t promise you’ll enjoy it—but I will show up.

Each post will touch on ideas I think matter—to parents, healthcare workers, providers, and all of us regular folks just trying to live well and do some good.

Why I’m Taking on This Consistency Challenge

  Here are the five reasons I’ve committed to this challenge:

1. Communication and Posterity

I want to leave something behind for my two boys—something that lets them hear my voice and know I was all in for them. Even when I’m not with them (like right now, holed up in a hospital call room waiting for the next laboring parturient to request an epidural or emergency to be brought to the OR), I’m thinking of them.

They don’t need me rambling about deep thoughts when we’re together.  Writing in this way allows me to release a certain energy that doesn't serve me as a parent right now. They need me present and ready to play and listen. So this blog is where I’ll channel some of that energy. Maybe they'll enjoy hearing some of their old man's thoughts when they are older.

2. Model What I Preach

We started a family consistency challenge in early 2025. I wanted my boys to experience how just a little focused attention, practiced daily, could lead to big improvements.

I came up with a bunch of options in areas they’ve shown interest in such as learning a new language, music, strength/movement, and various sports.  They chose to work on their basketball dribbling skills. We found a five-minute workout on YouTube, adapted it, and they’ve done it every day since. Watching them improve—and enjoy the process—has been rewarding.

Seeing their success, I felt hypocritical not modeling consistency in an area that mattered to me as well.  So now, in the little basket by the back door that houses what they need for their dribbling consistency challenge, there is a ‘Dad’ notecard I’ve turned into a week by week habit tracker right next to their habit trackers.  It feels good to take this on with them.  And I think each of us putting checks on those notecards together is a stronger parenting message than anything I could preach to them about consistency, focused attention, or perseverance.

3. Develop My Creative Side

I’ve always felt creatively deficient. My six-year-old draws a better picture of our family than I do. And apparently the right brain also handles autobiographical memory and some aspects of body awareness—two more weak spots for me.

Essentially, I think that for the first couple decades of my life, I was so driven to ‘succeed’ in the ways I thought would make others happy that I squelched any perceived obstacle to that success.  For me, the best example of a comical form of suppression comes from the days of medical school when I would often sit for over 12 hours in a day studying, completely ignoring my body.  So it feels good to take on a challenge that I think might open up a different part of myself.  I have already been taking this ‘kindly address my weaknesses’ approach to physical fitness over the past couple years, and it’s been very rewarding to see the gains I’ve made with my stability and cardiovascular fitness.  Maybe consistent use of my right brain through writing will unlock a bit of confidence and creativity too. Who knows what could follow?

4. Quiet My Inner Critic

It’s really hard for me to hit "post." Some combination of self-doubt, perfectionism, and ego all conspire to keep me silent.  Two quotes sum up what I feel like my own inherent wisdom is learning to say on this front though…

“The imperfect project you actually complete is worth more than the perfect project you never finish.”
— James Clear

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage… Go out and get busy!”
— Dale Carnegie

This is me getting busy.

5. Improve My Thinking

They say the best way to improve your thinking is to write. I couldn’t agree more.  And the quality of our thinking matters.  Being able to play with big ideas, communicate thoughts clearly, simplify complicated concepts, apply knowledge in practical ways, come up with solutions to the problems in our lives and even at times to see through these problems and recognize them simply as the manifestations of fear, it all takes a well-developed mind.  There are certainly other ways to train a mind.  But writing certainly belongs among the top methods for conditioning the ol' noggin.

Final Thoughts

There you have it.  At least to me, consistency matters.  I'll leave you with two questions I often ask myself—and maybe you'll enjoy pondering them too:

• Where in my life would the people who count on me benefit from my being a little more consistent?

• Where might a little consistency lead to surprisingly fun or rewarding results for me and those I love?

Thanks for reading.

Shoutout to Shane Parrish

His framework on the “different types of hard work” has been helpful for me and for teaching my kids:

There are different types of hard work:
1. Outthinking (a better strategy, a shortcut)
2. Pure Effort (working longer, with intensity)
3. Opportunistic (positioning yourself to take advantage of change)
4. Consistency (doing average things for longer)
5. Focus (saying no to distractions)