The Pressure of a "Streak"

We hear about "Streaks" all the time on SparkPeople.  I've got some streaks going - like logging in every day, and blogging every day since January 2nd.  I'm not sure how long I can keep up the blogging one, but it's fun to see if I think of something to write about.

I've got some streaks in my personal life, too.  The first one that comes to mind is cleaning the kitchen every night.  Sometimes my husband or kids clean it, but most of the time it's me, as I'm very particular about it.  I like to wake up to a clean, organized kitchen.  So even if they do all the "dirty work," I will often finish tidying up and making everything extra nice.  It is a rarity that I leave dirty dishes in the sink or on the counter, but it does occur from time to time.

I started a new streak the same day I started back on SparkPeople.  Flossing my teeth.

I really hate flossing.  I don't know why.  It's not like it takes all that long.  It wards off gingivitis and it makes dentist visits more pleasant since your gums aren't as tender.  I flossed my teeth every day at one point - maybe my late 30s? - for a few years, barely missing a day.  But then I missed a couple days, and then it turned into a week, and then a month... and then eventually I only flossed once in a blue moon.

After 3 root canals, it's probably too late to save the rest of my teeth from their inevitable fate, but I am determined to do what I can and set a good example for my children.  (Since they saw the agony I was in for 2 days before my last root canal, I think that may have done more than any positive example I can set, but hey... I also want to show that if *I* can change my habits in middle age, anyone can change anytime!)

So, here I am, a month into my nightly flossing routine.  I've only missed one day, and I'm happy to say I didn't just give up and decide, "Oh well, I failed again!" and lose my resolve.  I think that's the biggest problem for me with streaks.  I often see it as an "all or nothing" kind of thing, and then give up because I "failed."

Keeping track of a Streak can put a lot of pressure on us and contribute to a fear of failure.  A child with perfect school attendance gets sick.  Would you send the child anyway, risking infecting the other students, just to keep the streak intact?  I've seen runners (myself included) keep training through injury so they can get their planned mileage in.  I've seen the tremendous anxiety straight-A students have at the thought of getting their first B since letter grades began on third grade report cards.  The fear is so great that some resort to cheating and risk the chance of punishment.

Then, for some people, once the "failure" has occurred, it can lead to a lost desire to try.  I blogged about this a few years ago in "Falling Down the Stairs."

We have to remember what is is actually important.  What are we trying to achieve?  Perfection?  I don't think so.

We might not log into SP, exercise, or floss our teeth.  We might get a disappointing grade on a report card.  Our team might lose after several undefeated seasons.  We might make poor food choices.  We might get sick or injured.  However, these are just inevitable bumps in the road.  What's really important is the learning and personal growth we gain on our life's journey.

I wasn't always a kitchen "neat freak."  I left dishes in the sink for days when I was in college.  What changed my ways was finding roaches in my apartment kitchen.  Yuck.  I decided to never again leave anything out that might tempt a bug or rodent of any kind to come out of hiding and crawl across my countertop.

As I wrote this blog, I realized my nightly kitchen routine is technically not a streak, because it's not perfect - and that's totally okay.  It's a habit.  It's a way of life.  Even when I have the occasional "failure," I don't see it as one.  For 25 years, 99.9% of the time, I've kept a clean kitchen, which made me think of it as a streak.  I'm sure at some point, one night I'll forget or decide not to floss my teeth.  However, I hope my new habit "goes the way of my kitchen."

May we all get to the point where we don't beat ourselves up or give up due to our small "failures" as we focus on the lifelong habits we are trying to create or maintain.