Adaptability Is the Secret to Consistency
The Christian Life Coach Podcast Episode 73
What if consistency isn't about doing everything perfectly?
Have you ever missed one workout, skipped your quiet time, or fallen behind on a project and immediately thought, "I've blown it"?
Most of us have.
We tend to think consistency means showing up the exact same way every single day. We imagine disciplined people never miss a workout, never change their plans, and never fall behind.
But that's not how real life works.
Life changes. Seasons change. Priorities change.
What if real consistency isn't about perfection?
What if it's about adaptability?
Consistency and adaptability can exist together
Recently, my podcast came out a day later than normal.
For a moment, I had a choice.
I could criticize myself for missing my Wednesday publishing schedule, or I could recognize what actually happened.
My family had been visiting for three weeks. My grandson was here. I chose to spend those days making memories instead of sitting in my office recording a podcast.
That wasn't an accident.
It wasn't laziness.
It wasn't poor planning.
It was a choice.
And I loved my reasons.
Then I came across a quote from James Clear that perfectly summed up what I'd already been thinking:
"In theory, consistency is about being disciplined, determined, and unwavering. In practice, consistency is about being adaptable."
That one sentence completely captures what so many of us miss.
Stop confusing consistency with perfection
One missed day doesn't erase months of faithfulness.
One busy season doesn't mean you've become an inconsistent person.
One setback doesn't undo your progress.
The problem isn't usually that we miss one day.
The problem is what we tell ourselves after we miss one day.
"I'll never stick with this."
"I'm just not disciplined."
"I always quit."
Those thoughts create far more damage than the missed habit ever could.
Instead of asking, "Why did I fail?"
Ask yourself:
How can I adapt and keep moving?
Minimum baselines make consistency possible
One of my favorite tools is creating minimum baselines.
A minimum baseline is the smallest version of the habit that still keeps you moving in the direction you want to go.
It removes the all-or-nothing thinking that keeps so many people stuck.
Maybe your original plan was:
Exercise for an hour.
Meal prep for the week.
Write an entire chapter.
Record and edit a podcast.
Then life happens.
Instead of deciding the day is ruined, ask:
"What is the minimum version I can do today?"
Small, consistent actions build trust.
Not because they're impressive.
Because they keep you from quitting.
Like your reasons
One of the biggest mindset shifts I've learned is this:
Make your decision, then like your reasons.
I could have recorded my podcast while my grandson was visiting.
Instead, I chose to be fully present with him.
Afterward, I didn't spend my energy criticizing myself.
I had my own back.
That doesn't mean making excuses.
It means making intentional decisions that align with your values and accepting the consequences without unnecessary shame.
Real life requires flexibility
Your routines should support your life, not control it.
Some seasons are naturally more productive than others.
Some seasons require you to slow down.
Some seasons ask you to care for family, recover from illness, or simply rest.
That doesn't mean you've abandoned your goals.
It means you're learning to lead yourself well.
Adaptability isn't weakness.
It's wisdom.
Final Thoughts
If you've been beating yourself up because life hasn't looked the way you planned, I want to encourage you today.
Keep showing up.
Adjust when you need to.
Protect what matters most.
Then begin again.
Consistency isn't about never changing your plans.
It's about continuing to move forward, even when your plans have to change.
One renewed thought at a time.
Watch Here
-
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:07:02
Well, I got some really good feedback about my last episode where I was winging it, so…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:07:12
I decided that.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:07:14
This would be another wing it kind of week.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:07:18
Welcome to the Christian Life Coach Podcast. I'm Shanna, your Christian life coach.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:07:24
So welcome, welcome, welcome. So today.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:07:29
My podcast is supposed to go out on Wednesdays, and today is Thursday.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:07:35
I had a house full for the past three weeks and it was.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:07:41
Fantastic and wonderful and exhausting and wonderful. And that's kind of what I'm going to talk about today on the episode. But I want to preface that with something else.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:07:57
So, I was…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:07:59
I wouldn't say stressed.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:08:01
It was on my mind quite a bit that.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:08:04
I didn't have an episode to post yesterday, on Wednesday, when my podcast is supposed to come out. Um, and I decided to…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:08:16
Lead by example, as I often like to do, and allow Wednesday to go by without a podcast episode.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:08:27
Why would I do that?
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:08:29
Why, Shanna? When you teach and preach and coach on consistency.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:08:36
Why would you allow a Wednesday to pass without doing whatever it took to get a podcast episode out?
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:08:45
Well, let me tell you.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:08:48
Because I saw this post…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:08:51
And by James Clear.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:08:54
And actually, I must have decided it ahead of time. And then this post came out, I guess yesterday, and it was a confirmation.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:09:03
of my decision to let the Wednesday go without posting a podcast episode. So, the James Clear post says.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:09:14
In theory, consistency is about being disciplined, determined, and unwavering.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:09:24
In practice.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:09:26
Consistency is about being adaptable.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:09:30
Don't have much time, scale it down
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:09:33
I don't have much energy.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:09:36
Do the easy version.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:09:38
Find different ways to show up depending on the circumstances.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:09:44
Let your habits change shape to meet the demands of the day.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:09:50
Adaptability is the way of consistency.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:09:56
Isn't that so good? I will have that link in the show notes. I'm going to make sure that I have it right now.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:10:06
And.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:10:09
That is what I'm basing this episode on, adaptability. My goal is to have a podcast episode come out every week on Wednesday.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:10:20
I when my grandbaby is around.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:10:24
I choose…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:10:26
To focus on him.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:10:29
Over almost everything else. Not quite everything else, but almost, and some people in my house would probably tell you, above all else. And it might be true to some degree, I guess. But I do, I want to make sure that my clients are tended to.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:10:44
I want to make sure that I am spending time with the people that matter the most, I'm addressing what needs to be addressed, and I'm spending as much time with my grandbaby as I possibly can.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:10:59
And so.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:11:01
When from the time he wakes up.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:11:04
Till the time he goes to bed at night, I'm.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:11:07
I'm with him. I'm spending time with him.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:11:12
And when he's asleep.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:11:16
it's kind of like, okay, where can I, where can I find a spot to do what I need to do? And, um, and really, when he's asleep, I'm really tired, to be honest. So, I'm…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:11:28
Demonstrating adaptability, being adaptable. I can be consistent.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:11:36
and adaptable at the same time. And that's a little bit why, um, it's just occurring to me, that is probably why I like.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:11:46
The term rhythms even better than habits.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:11:50
Because a rhythm kind of feels more flexible to me, and so.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:11:55
When we have a habit that we are incorporating, that we're practicing, that we really want to…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:12:04
To practice consistently.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:12:08
If we don't do that thing.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:12:12
What happens?
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:12:14
It's really easy to beat ourselves up over it.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:12:18
And then just say, forget it. I wasn't consistent. I didn't do it that time. So it's not really a habit. It must not be that important. So I'm just not going to do it.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:12:31
Or we go to the extreme and berate ourselves, negative self-talk.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:12:37
about why we didn't do it and what a horrible person we are for not doing whatever it is. But really, what if we can just be adaptable? What if we can adapt? And this also goes along with my teachings of minimum baselines.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:12:53
In any anything that you're working on, that you're trying to create or build a business, health, relationships, finances, whatever it is, minimum baselines is.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:13:09
It's a really…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:13:11
Great way to create habits and to work towards anything. So what are the minimums that I'm going to do on a daily basis or a weekly basis and call it good and let that be good.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:13:27
Um, for me, my minimum baseline is podcasting, and… and all of the things that go along with it. I post my podcast in a lot of different places, an email goes out, I post, like, there's… there's a lot that goes along with.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:13:42
a podcast to promote it and market it and all of that.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:13:48
That's my minimum baseline.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:13:52
And because my grandson and my kids and my family, my husband, and spending time with them took priority.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:14:03
My podcast is coming out later than I ideally wanted. And also, I'm totally okay with it. I am being adaptable. I am adapting to the circumstances. I knew that they were going to be leaving this morning, so I was going to be able to get caught up on some stuff.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:14:22
Start focusing towards my workshop that I'm doing on Monday. Um, and so…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:14:29
This could be an opportunity to beat myself up and to tell myself all of the.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:14:34
um, all of the negatives about the way that I run my business, or how I prioritize things, or how disciplined or undisciplined I am, and I'm choosing to…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:14:45
see it as, I'm adaptable. And I want to live a life that is adaptable, that sees things coming.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:14:55
and can figure it out as I go. Things don't go the way I expected? Okay, now what?
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:01
What do I want to do with this now?
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:03
Because some things I can control and some things I can't.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:07
So those things that I can't control, now what?
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:10
Those things that I can control, I get to decide.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:13
I could have at any time when my grandson was here.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:18
I could have said, hey, I'm gonna go record a podcast, and I could have come into my closet office, and I could have recorded a podcast and put it out and had it out on Wednesday, and everything would have been great. I chose to spend time with my grandson, and I'm totally happy with that.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:35
That's one of the things that I think is really important is to know that it's a choice.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:42
And to make the choice.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:46
liking your reasons. I loved my reasons. I want to spend as much time with that boy as I possibly can.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:52
I want to spend time with my kids.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:55
I want to spend time with my husband, although he's he.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:15:59
He is not as flexible as I am.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:16:02
Um, his job is not as flexible as I am, but…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:16:06
Make a decision.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:16:08
and like your reasons why, and then stick to it. Have your own back afterwards. So today, I am having my own back about my podcast not coming out yesterday.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:16:19
I love the reasons that my podcast didn't come out. And I would have loved them even if I decided not to have a podcast this week.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:16:29
But then I saw that James Clear post and decided, ooh, I am still gonna do the podcast, I'm adapting, and it's gonna come out later, and that's okay. And also, that is me being a great example of being adaptable and allowing consistency.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:16:48
to be adaptable.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:16:53
So yeah, this actually wasn't the exact direction that I had planned for this podcast episode to go.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:16:59
And the whole podcast episode is about the podcast episode.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:17:04
Isn't that interesting?
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:17:07
So, if… if this speaks to you, um, this is kind of me. This is how I show up, this is how I, um, I relate to my clients.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:17:18
I'm not flighty, I'm not flaky, I am adaptable. And I feel like when, um…
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:17:28
When you are adaptable.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:17:31
I've said that word a lot of times. I recognize that. You attract clients that either are also adaptable or want to be.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:17:43
So, if that is you, if you are a coach working on building a coaching practice, and.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:17:52
You feel stuck, stalled, overwhelmed, confused.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:17:57
Inadequate, whatever it is. Or if you just want extra support and help, go sign up for the Business of Coaching Workshop. I'm doing that on Monday.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:18:09
July 13th, 2026, and I will be talking about full steam ahead in there after I do the teaching on the business of coaching. We'll be talking about the five areas in your coaching practice that you need.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:18:24
Clarity in order to to create consistency and.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:18:30
I'll also be talking about Full Steam Ahead, like I said. The Full Steam Ahead program is coming again in August for coaches that are cultivating a coaching practice. The price for Full Steam Ahead goes up on July 16th.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:18:43
It is $500 right now and $700 for VIP. It's going up to $597 and $797 on July 16th. So if you're thinking about getting in, you want to get in before that July 16th deadline.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:18:59
Um, and if you have questions, reach out. If you are not building a coaching practice, if you are not in the business of coaching, and you would like help on.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:19:09
Creating consistency in your life, being more adaptable.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:19:15
Um, being a better decision maker, having your own back.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:19:18
Getting out of those negative self-talk patterns, schedule a right fit call, and we can talk about doing all of that and seeing how coaching can help you to change those patterns within your own life, where you are.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:19:34
Starting right where you're at.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:19:36
The links for everything will be in the show notes.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:19:39
If you are watching on YouTube.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:19:44
Hi. And if you're listening, wherever you're listening, wherever you're watching, I appreciate you. I thank you. If you know of a coach that is looking for help in their coaching practice or somebody that needs help in any of these areas that I talked about.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:20:01
Send them this episode.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:20:04
And hopefully they enjoy the wing it style, the winging it style that I have adapted at least these past two episodes.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:20:13
Thank you so much for being here. Remember that life coaching is life changing, one renewed thought at a time.
[Shanna Pyzer | shannapyzer.com] 13:20:23
Bye for now.
