The Case for Consistency & Forgiving Forgetfulness.
Hi friends! Welcome to Full Stop, my daily attempt to live with outward honesty: to speak in truths, to learn, and to examine life. Thank you for your presence here.
đ Happy Sunday
I write while looking out at the nearly infinite small windows that compose the skyscrapers of New York â cubicles of lives.
Itâs 9:14 PM, and I have just departed from Moynihan Train Hall, one of the bougiest train stops I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
The sky is painted in pink and grey, with the rooftops of skyscrapers protruding into its otherwise endless expanse.
đŻ Streaks
Duolingo has amplified the language learning experience by emphasizing consistency.
Something inside us fears resetting the đ„clock on that little widget on our home screen. The beauty lies in knowing you moved one day forward and, almost more importantly, did not âeraseâ previous progress.
Fear-based motivation.
Such a rudimentary idea, but so pervasive.
When it comes to setting any habit, like learning a new language with a green birdie or writing daily, consistency is key.
I've witnessed friends rush to complete their Duo daily lesson at 11:58 PM after a Saturday evening outâfocused so intensely youâd think they were cutting the circuit on a bomb about to explode. It's quite entertaining, Iâll admit.
Admirable commitment.
In the spirit of Paris 2024, I am reminded of the greatest of all time, Mr. Michael Phelps. For five years leading up to the 2008 Games in Beijing, he trained every day â birthdays, holidays⊠everything.
Phelps starkly believed that one day off meant two days back.
And going back is unacceptable. Going back induces fear, guilt, and shame.
So you decide to move forward instead.
I write all of this having broken my own streak.
Yesterday, on the 73rd day of this newsletterâs existence, I didnât publish.
I was ⊠inconsistent.
Though this decision was made consciously â I spent the day completely off technology with someone whose presence makes me present.
So I traded off habit, and I broke neuroticism.
đ And so I provide irony and nuance to yet another Full Stop:
Consistency is key, and flexibility is freedom.
And today, I am back behind my MacBook, sharing work and turning the clock back on.
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I am 22, and I have no absolute certainty about where my life trajectory is taking me, whether it be in medicine, entrepreneurship, a combination of the two, or neither. Welcome to my process of discovery. Thank you for letting me learn on this journey. I hope you can too.Â