A lesson in consistency

I made the mistake of taking a break from hiking this summer and paid for it this morning with an exhausting climb up my 95-Peak (Jiuwufeng/九五峯). The ascent took me fifteen minutes longer than my average time and left my muscles, lungs, and limbs screaming from the unaccustomed exercise.

My struggles up the hill provided a useful reminder of the importance of maintaining consistency in my life. By allowing myself a break, I lost a lot of both physical and mental stamina that made my eventual return so much harder than it need have been. A much more effective approach would have been to carry out shorter hikes in the summer heat to keep myself in reasonable shape. Hindsight can be a highly effective tool, but only if you apply the lessons you have learned from it!

Consistency is a highly underrated virtue, probably because it can so easily be confused with monotony or a lack of spontaneity. But if the old saying from Thomas Edison that genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration is true, genuine success comes from sustained effort and dedication rather than fleeting moments of brilliance.

At least that is what I will tell myself when I slog up the slops of 95-Peak again tomorrow morning.