The Gears of Time Keep Turning
Why consistency — not motivation — is the real key to a meaningful year
Recently, I found myself without a vehicle because my little S10 truck needed a transmission rebuild. It’s funny how life lessons show up in the most unexpected places.
For a couple of weeks, Ellen became my chauffeur — or as she lovingly called me, “Miss Daisy.”
“Come on, Miss Daisy,” she’d say. “I’ve got to take you to work.”
Let’s just say I was very glad to get my truck back. Being down a vehicle definitely creates some logistical challenges and requires a lot of schedule reshuffling. But in the middle of that inconvenience, I learned a really valuable lesson about consistency.
As Ellen and I dropped the boys off at school and headed into the office each morning, I noticed something.
Without fail, every single morning, Ellen went through a little mantra with the boys. She would start it, and they would finish it.
Ellen: “You boys are going to have a good…”
Boys: “DAY!”
Ellen: “I am going to get great…”
Boys: “REPORTS!”
Ellen: “And Mommy loves you…”
Boys: “SO MUCH!”
Every morning. Without fail.
After watching this for a few days, I asked her how she started doing that routine. She told me she wanted them to know three things before they walked into school each day:
- Today is going to be a good day.
- They are good boys.
- And they are loved.
If we’re being honest, we could all use that same reminder:
Today is going to be a good day.
I am good.
And I am loved.
With the start of a new year — and with all the New Year’s resolutions many of us have struggled to keep in the past — the real key to success isn’t motivation… it’s consistency. It’s the habits we don’t break. The routines we stay committed to even when we don’t feel like it.
As parents, we can easily see the impact this kind of consistency has on our children’s mindset. Imagine starting every single day being reminded that you are good and you are loved.
Now here’s the bigger question:
What kind of impact could you have on yourself if you stayed committed to your habits, routines, and goals throughout all of 2026?
For Christmas, Ellen gave me a clock from La Gene’s Jewelers that now hangs above our fireplace. I often catch myself staring at it — watching the visible gears turning. It’s eye-catching because the gears are always in motion.
That’s the interesting thing about time…
It never stops.
A year from now, 2026 will be over. And the question won’t be where the time went — it will be what we did with it.
Will you be proud of the year you had?
Did you stay consistent with your habits?
Did you spend your time wisely?
Your friend,
Dr. Mosier