My 2019 personal value goal is consistency. We’ve heard it a hundred times that, “It’s not what you do sometimes, but what you do most of the time,” that matters. And I knew that. We all know that. We don’t always feel it though. Or see it in our lives.

Over the few years I have truly grown to see that I can make improvements in my financial life one dollar at a time and that it does have an impact. Why did I have such a hard time ascribing this to things like health or fitness?

I don’t know why, but I do know that over the few years I have made small changes that stuck, and I keep making small changes and I am seeing small, but measurable, improvement in my mental health, chronic illness, and fitness levels that I am able to recognize at this stage in my life. I’m grateful for the new level of self awareness!

So we are going for consistency this year. Not running five miles once in a while, but doing a couple miles, several days a week. Not eating Whole30 for a month and then backsliding the rest of the year, but eating clean most of the time and truly enjoying the not so healthy foods periodically with no shame or guilt.

For weeks I have chanted the word, “Consistency,” in my brain. It’s on repeat. All the time. I keep thinking about getting a bracelet or something, but balk at paying money. I can chant in my brain for free.

The biggest challenge to this goal of consistency has already happened. We had snowmaggedon in the Seattle area for the last two weeks. Worst snow storm in over 70 years with 14 inches in my area, but some received nearly 3 feet. To many people who receive snow frequently this seems like nothing, but we don’t have the infrastructure for this. We don’t have the equipment for the roads, and many of us don’t have chains or snow tires because we just stay home those two days it snows a year.

When the snow began, I reached out and asked for help on my local running group and Buy Nothing group asking if I could put in three miles on someone’s treadmill. That was already a huge step up from years past. A couple years ago I would have used the snow as an excuse and been happy about it. Not this year. I made a commitment to myself and I am keeping it. However, after that day it got much worse and I was home bound for over a week. My back started acting up (takes two days for it to start having issues) and then I finally got out of the house and walked two miles in the snow with the dogs and woke up sick the next day.

I’m still sick. Stepping outside results in rousing rounds of coughing, sometimes until I vomit a little. FUN DAYS. It progressed into a sinus infection and I’m on week three right now.

The lesson here, the change here, is this: “I ruined my streak. Might as well call it. Whatever. Can’t do a perfect year of fitness 2-3 days a week anymore cause I missed three weeks, right?”

Nope. It’s cool. I’m practicing kindness and understanding with myself. That thing I never do. I’m usually very mean to myself, but I’m finding I’m getting a lot farther with kindness than I ever did with shame. It’s cool, y’all. I’ll wait a few more days until my lungs are clear and I’ll get back to the program. It’s about consistency, not about missing three weeks or not doing my app program perfectly. (The app thing really bothers me. I want to restart it so it looks “pretty.” Yes. I’m aware this is bonker balls and I’m not going to do it, but I’m acknowledging it’s there.)

It’s a new year, a new me, and a better outlook. These personal goals are more meaningful to me than my financial ones because they are what will really drive and enable any accomplishments I have in this life. Join up with me. Love yourself, treat yourself well, and truly live your values. I can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store for all of us!