So I used to be in the choir in my old school where we had some amazing and incredibly insightful people for conductors. They didn’t just teach us to sing well, but also imparted valuable life lessons that I treasure to this day. There was this one quote in particular that really spoke to me: “Excellence is not an act but a habit.” By Aristotle. In context, they were telling us not to put on a good show only for big, important performances (i.e. competitions or events where we are judged and assessed), but to dedicate the same amount of effort, focus & dedication to the casual performances (like those for school-based events). In other words, not just be like a “Peacock choir” where everything is just-for-show and the best is only displayed when the stakes are high, but to consistently bring a good Hand to the table; making Excellence a Habit instead of a one-off Act.
In the same way, people are always telling us that “consistency is key” (to success/good grades, etc.) but I didn’t fully grasp the concept consistency until recently, when I had an epiphany! J So you know how we look at the world in terms of our schedules, like in block periods? For example, I’ve got this week with all my assignments due, then the next 2 weeks are my major exams then for 2 months after that it’s holiday! What I’m trying to get at is that our outlook on life consists of a few milestones, or important events that we mark out on our calendar as they determine our “fate” in some way (testing and grades determine which classes/schools/scholarships you’ll get to apply for), and leave the rest of it (the ordinary days/ maybe even the individual days of a long break) with no clear vision or goal. In the days leading up to the big exams, we study so hard and deprive ourselves of all the luxuries in life (like going out, shopping, eating fancy, watching movies, stalking people on Facebook, SLEEP) to bury ourselves in study material; we suddenly become so Systematic, as we plan out our study schedule, Efficient, as we time ourselves with revision and practice papers, and Productive as we are spurred on by stress of each passing day (and possibly the caffeine in our system from all that coffee. Or tea). Now we may think this kind of discipline is good for us (and sure, it is, if you keep it up even after your tests are over) but in truth, I think it’s more detrimental than helpful. This is because most of us will immediately let everything go and indulge ourselves in all the activities that we were deprived of for the past weeks. We indulge to such an extent (because we can; don’t have school/ a care in the world) that our lifestyle becomes very unhealthy. Sleep at unearthly times, wake up after noon, shop till we have no more money/ we can fill another closet, stare at the computer screen till we have to get new glasses. And basically, if we don’t plan our holidays and fill it with events like what we did while studying, we just waste it away, day by day, transforming into a big blob of goo. Shapeless and helpless. (this often leaves us feeling horribly unprepared for the new school year and thinking how the holidays passed by so quickly)
So I just wanted to say, through this long but hopefully not confusing post, that Consistency means doing the same thing as you would no matter what the circumstance. And obviously, “doing that same thing” means putting your 100% in aiming for Excellence in all that you do, in every situation. This is REALLY a lot easier said than done but I’m pretty confident that if one was focused enough to apply this in their life and see it through, they would lead a pretty eventful and fulfilling life, and not regret a thing.
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