Why consistency? Self-awareness and integrity
I write about sidchas and standard procedures a fair amount. I don’t remember how often I clarify the main reasons for doing them.
You might think the point of fitness-related ones to be fitness. I’m proud of fitness results, but they’re more a side effect.
One of the big benefits is mental freedom. I think many people consider diet and exercise sources of stress, never knowing if they’re doing enough or if they’re doing them right. Making sidchas for the most important parts of your life means you always know they’re taken care of. You never have to worry about them.
The most important parts of life are easy to put aside here or there, then soon you’ve lost them. I consider the three pillars regular exercise, the right amount of sleep for yourself, and a healthy diet. Put them aside a few times and you end up stressed, obese, and spending more time and money instead of saving them.
I’m writing today for another big benefit, which comes when you do your sidcha on very difficult days. The past few days made doing today’s burpees, calisthenics, and meditation difficult. I just finished both sets of calisthenics. They weren’t pretty but I did them. I was more exhausted than usual.
Doing sidchas when they are hardest
Doing sidchas when they are hardest is when I learn who I am. All the sidchas I do when they aren’t hard train me for doing them when they’re hard.
Do I do what I say I would?
What are my values?
Who am I?
What do I do when no one else is watching or knows if I skimp?
Doing what I value when it’s hard answers these questions.
They build the skills of self-awareness and integrity. They only come through experience. You can’t get them from reading books or things being done for you.
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On initiative, leadership, the environment, and burpees