Consistently being consistent will give you consistency in your life.

What does that even mean? Sorry to jumble your brains right off the bat but as always, I’m talking about taking care of the only vessel that you really have to travel this life in - your beloved human body.

It’s a wonderful exhibit of complexity: 600 muscles, 206 bones, organs that let you see, feel, hear, and a brain that is more complex than a supercomputer.

Yet, we don’t come with a manual or a maintenance schedule, and all too often we treat our bodies worse than we treat our cars.

I think we can do better by being consistent in our choices. I mean, think about it, our body has the ability to do wondrous things, or it can let you down and limit you if you don’t take care of it.

Either way, it’s because of what you choose to do consistently.

Consistently BAD: Should you go about life regularly making poor nutrition choices, or doing things such as smoking or vaping or drugs regularly and consistently, your future (if there is one) will likely lead you down a path where your body will age quickly, develop chronic disease, maybe pain, maybe obesity and in the end, you will consistently be burdened by lack of joy in your life and lack of ability to participate in the things that are really important.

Consistently GOOD: Should you go about life regularly making good nutrition choices, exercising, reading and learning and feeding your brain, developing social relationships with like-minded individuals, working hard at your profession, practicing your faith, your future will likely lead you down a path where you will reap what you sow. And this is really what this is all about … a fulfilling life!

Life is short. It flies past you in a blink.

Personally, I want more chances to experience joy, and my belief is that consistently making GOOD choices gives me the best chance.

If you are reading this, I’m going to assume that you are not a child and therefore, you understand good choices and bad choices.

Hopefully you understand that you are what you are today because of the choices you made yesterday. Although I am not deeply invested in the Harry Potter series, I found a passage that relates very well to my idea of consistency in choices.

To paraphrase, we would love to acquire as much money and love and life as we could possibly have, yet as humans, we have the tendency of choosing precisely those things that are worst for us.

I think that we can break the trend of choosing poorly. It won’t be easy and it will take time, but if you can do it yourself, you can help those around you do it as well. And more importantly, let’s start to help young people make better choices so that their lives are better in the long run.

Consistency is the key! If you make GOOD choices way more often than you make BAD choices, your body and your life will be better prepared to find the joy in a life that is surrounded by the opposite.

There is joy out there and I believe it is available in great volumes … you can consistently find that joy if you consistently make choices that will help you get there.

Be good and do good!

Joel J. Digris is a Schuylkill County resident with a master’s degree in physical therapy. He is currently employed by Achieva Rehabilitation as an outpatient provider of physical therapy and serves residents in Carbon, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties.

The Times News Media Group do not endorse or recommend any medical products, processes, or services or provide medical advice. The views of the author do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Times News. The article content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.