Sometimes being consistent means taking a break. 

Sometimes being consistent means taking a step back. 

Sometimes being consistent means pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.

Sometimes being consistent means being okay with feeling uncomfortable or unsure. 

The more I reclaim my notion of “showing up consistently” or even my relationship to my “work ethic” from external rewards and external outcomes, the more I find inner alignment. 

The more I find inner alignment, the more the world around me shifts to reflect what I’ve found. 

When I honor my natural rhythms I am always on time. When I honor my natural rhythms I am always exactly where I need to be. There’s no reason to rush or fast forward when being present to the process is what gets me from one step to the next. There’s no reason to feel anxious when I take things one step at a time. 

I have no more use for burn out or injury or depletion - the ability to navigate those things, to protect myself from those things, is within my power. I get to decide what my boundaries are and when it’s time to claim them. I get to discover and prioritize my own needs. 

I’ve found most of my boundaries, and my limits, the hard way; by pushing too hard, by being too open, or too passive or simply disconnected from myself - but each one of those missteps was informative. Once I have that insight, it’s within my power to let it inform me. To recognize dissonance when it comes and to listen to it and act accordingly. When I treat my process as a practice then there’s no need to control or tense up or to project anxieties trying to micromanage. Because in any given moment, I have the option of tuning in to where I am at, and trusting that it’s where I should be. And if that doesn’t ring true? If I feel like my circumstances are out of alignment with who I am and what I want? Then allowing that information to dictate what I do next with the trust that I’ll get there. With the knowledge that my ability to get there is assured. In my time, through rhythms all my own; my clarity, attention, and trust ensures that my desired outcome is inevitable. 

Words in the image from “States of Shine”, click here to read.