Consistency Means Showing Up For the Habits

One thing about tennis I’ve learned is that by the time you play a match, whether it’s in a tournament, a contract or league, it’s too late. And what I mean is it’s like the final exam. You should have done your homework and gotten your practice in. It seems like you are either in the habit of playing or not. I know for me, I could tell when I haven’t been playing. I’m out of breathe after 15 minutes of side to side movement. My opponents know where I’m going and know where to place the ball. I’m not “on” or in the zone. My fitness is off. My head’s a noodle and I can’t think for the life of me. It’s too late. I didn’t practice.

The times I do play well, I can tell. I’ve consistently played at least 3 times a week. I’ve got some match play under my belt, whether with friends, contract or USTA league. My fitness is on. I have zero fear and just play to play.

I remember last summer I distinctly felt that feeling of being on my game about a week after the triathlon. The first set I did okay but was particularly annoyed I wasn’t playing up to my potential. Then I thought to myself, “What are you doing? It’s just tennis, you can’t fall off a bike off the slippery hill and hurt yourself, you don’t have to swim with a bunch of other people in a pool of water and get elbowed. The most that can happen is you can get pegged by a ball. Enough of this B.S.” My fitness was pretty good and I got my practice in, was that all for nothing? The next step, “Do you want to win or not? At least play like you mean it.” I decided to push myself and go for it. In the second set we killed our opponent 6-0. We won our match for sure but what mattered to me more was getting out of my own way, playing my game and deciding to just win in my head no matter what.

So, what does this have to do with everyday life? Everything. It’s in the habits. Like the gym habit, I don’t always go all out, sometimes it’s just 15-20 minutes, but I GO about 4-5 a week and that’s half the battle. If I don’t go I don’t feel as productive throughout the day. My energy lags and I feel grumpy/hangry. Oh, and I SNACK more too, argh… Blogging consistently – sure I don’t blog everyday, but I show up as regularly as I can and put stuff out there. Not every post is a home run, but it’s out there.

Consistency is showing up, whether you feel like it or not. It’s about pushing yourself or scaling back as needed, but no matter what, you show up. And it gets you stronger in the habit you want to grow, whether that’s exercising, or learning a new skill for work or play. Just show up no matter what, because it’s in building the habit that you get better and grow.