Consistency = Success

This is a parallel story.Last year, I spent a frustrating year teaching mathematics. Frustrating because, despite what I knew to be good practice, my students' test results were not stellar. In fact, much of the time, my class averages were below every other class on the team. In the data-driven environment in which we teachers work, that is not a good feeling.Still, we continued to work consistently addressing standards.As I prepped to close out the school year, I printed the growth report in mathematics for my students. And here was the surprise: 78% of my students had made high growth! Of the 78%, half were lower achieving, but their growth in Grade 3 had been significant.  If the growth had been high, those consistent teaching practices had been successful.Now the parallel part of this tale:This week, I had been feeling pretty low about my fitness and conditioning achievements. I belong to a fabulous gym where the owner, Sherri Sarrouf, and all of the trainers, encourage each member to be the best they can be. This is the most supportive fitness environment I have ever been part of - me, the queen of gym-avoidance; I love going to the gym!So I emailed Sherri and told her I had a concern that I wasn't moving forward. And Sherri, being the caring person that she is, wanted to meet with me asap.Sherri had some data for me too. I had beginning BMI data taken when I first joined the gym. Sherri did a BMI right then and there. I lost pounds, I gained muscle, my metabolic age went down, fat - down. The evidence of success was right in front of me.I have been consistently going to the gym - mostly because it is so FUN - and the data was there to show I was making progress.So just like staying the course in mathematics last year, staying the course in my personal life, that consistency, had made a difference. Sometimes growth is subtle.Consistency = success.