Not because we don’t care.
Not because we are lazy… (maybe some of it is because of laziness lol)
But mostly because real life is full, habits are hard to start, and sometimes the version of consistency we picture for ourselves doesn’t actually fit the life we’re living.

I made a vow to myself this month that I want to stop buying bread and just make it at home instead.

The funny thing is, I know how to make bread. I’ve made it enough times that I can do it pretty quickly, simply, and honestly without following a recipe. I go by feel, by sight, and a list of ingredients in my head.

So for me, the problem is not ability.

It’s follow-through.

It’s doing it every day, every week, whenever we need it, instead of just knowing that I could do it.

And I think this is where a lot of us get stuck in life too. A lot of times, we already know what to do. We already know what needs to be done. But we still struggle to keep doing it.

Here are a few things I’ve noticed that actually help me stay on track when I’m trying to turn something into a real habit.

Before I can stay consistent with something, I usually have to prepare my mind for it first.

With this bread vow, I have to keep talking to myself about why I even want to do it.

I have to remind myself that:

I have to remind myself that buying bread all the time is convenient, yes, but convenience adds up fast when you have a big family and go through food quickly.

And sometimes I really do have to psych myself out a little bit.

Like, Rosa… you know how to make this.
You know it does not take that long.
You know it tastes better.
You know it saves money.
So why are you acting like this is some huge impossible thing to stick to?

That part matters for me.

Because if I do not really settle it in my mind first, then the first moment I feel tired or rushed, I’m way more likely to just go buy the bread and move on with my day.

And I think a lot of us do that with more than just bread.

We know we want to cook at home more, save money, go to the gym, or follow through on whatever promise we made to ourselves… but if we are not mentally connected to why it matters, it becomes really easy to cave the second life gets inconvenient.

Sometimes consistency starts in the mind before it ever shows up in your actions.

The next thing that helps me is making sure I’m actually set up to follow through.

It sounds really nice to say, “I’m going to make all our bread at home this month,” but if I don’t have flour, yeast, oil, or the things I need in the house, then I’ve already made it harder on myself.

And that’s how a lot of good intentions fall apart.

Not always because we do not mean them.
Sometimes it’s because we didn’t prepare for them.

If I want to make bread consistently, I need to make sure:
• I have the ingredients before we’re down to the last slice and everybody is hungry
• I need to know what we’re low on.
'• I need to think ahead a little.

Nothing fancy, just enough to make the better choice easier when the time comes. And honestly, I think this applies to almost everything.

If you want to cook at home more, your kitchen has to be stocked enough to do it.
If you want to stop eating out so much, you need a few meals you can lean on.
If you want to be more disciplined with money, you need to know where your weak spots are before you’re standing in the middle of them.

So much of consistency is just making sure your environment is not constantly working against you.

This one might be the biggest one for me.

If something feels too complicated, too long, too unrealistic, or too perfect, I already know I’m probably not going to stick with it for very long.

That’s why with bread, I need to keep it simple.

I don’t need some beautiful complicated bread routine that looks impressive online. I definitely don’t need a twenty-step process. I don’t need to turn it into a whole event every time we need a loaf.

I need my version.

The version that works in my actual life.
The version I can make in a jiffy.
The version I know by feel, touch, and sight.
The version I can repeat.

That’s what makes something stick.

This is where people mess themselves up sometimes. We think consistency has to look big and impressive, when really it often works better when it looks simple and repeatable.

The more I think about it, the more I realize a lot of us are not struggling because we do not know what to do.

We’re struggling because we’re trying to force habits into lives that are already full.

We want to become the kind of person who wakes up early, works out every day, meal preps, reads more, spends less, cooks from scratch, posts online, keeps the house clean, and somehow does it all perfectly.

And I mean… that sounds lovely.

But ain’t no real life got time for that all!

Sometimes what we really need is not a whole new personality.

Sometimes we just need a better rhythm.
A more realistic plan.
A simpler version.
A reason that actually matters to us.

That’s what I keep coming back to.

Not perfection.
Not pressure.
Not some fake disciplined version of myself.

Just real-life follow-through.

That’s what I’ve been thinking about while trying to keep my little bread promise to myself.

Not how to become perfect.
Not how to suddenly become the most disciplined person alive.

Just how to make follow-through a little more realistic in my real life.

I think that’s what a lot of us are trying to do.

We’re trying to keep the promises we made to ourselves:
Save money
Eat Better
Floss everyday
Build better habits
Be more steady in areas that matter to us

Even if it’s small or messy, it still counts.

▶ Meal idea: Spring onion pancakes and eggs with chili oil

▶ Bread of the week: Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

▶ Wine I enjoyed: Albarino - Granbazan, Rias Biaxas Spain

▶ Current Snack: Chocolate covered pretzels