Show Up Tired: How Consistency Becomes Your Strongest Muscle

We explore the power of consistency in achieving any goal through daily commitment and action, regardless of circumstances or energy levels. The Consistency Project challenges us to show up for 365 days straight—with no days off and no excuses.

• Momentum builds even when energy is low—just showing up strengthens your consistency muscle
• You don't need perfect conditions to be consistent—just discipline, a decision, and a deeper why
• Write down your three most important goals in key life areas to create clarity and purpose
• Prepare thoroughly before beginning any task to eliminate friction and resistance
• Procrastination often stems from feeling inadequate—upgrade your key skills continuously
• The three steps to mastery: read daily in your field, attend courses, and turn driving time into learning time
• Balance quality time at work with quantity time at home for a fulfilled life
• Take it one step at a time—"By the yard it's hard, by the inch it's a cinch"

Show the f*ck up. Take that first step. If you've already started your journey, keep putting one foot in front of the other whenever you feel defeated. Don't let fear and negativity stop you from living your best life.

Chapters

• 1:13 Day 8 of The Consistency Project
• 3:43 Showing Up Despite Burnout
• 6:32 The Three D's of Habit Formation
• 8:09 Setting Your Most Important Goals
• 15:27 Prepare Thoroughly Before Beginning
• 20:14 Upgrading Your Key Skills
• 25:49 Three Steps to Mastery
• 29:42 Energy Drinks and Oral Health

Transcript

Dr. Shon: 0:37

Today was a crazy day. What has happened on day 8 of the Consistency Project? For day 8 of the Consistency Project, it was just one of those days. I'm tired. I spent 2-3 hours buried in dental claims, handling a tough extraction, and I had a full patient schedule and I almost got caught up in the procrastination spirit. But I told myself no, no, we're not quitting today. Today is not the day that we are going to quit. So I set my alarm clock, took a nap and showed up for me and for my tribe. I'm showing up for my future tribe and they don't even know it yet. I'm here, boo, waiting on you.

Dr. Shon: 1:20

That's what this project is all about 365 days of consistency. No matter how you feel now, if you're feeling burned out, that means that maybe you pick the challenge that doesn't align with your spirit. Whatever challenge you pick for your 365 days should align with your spirit. If it's too difficult, then you might as well let it go, but if it's something you really want, then you can't make excuses. That's the only rule. No days off and no quitting. That means you just can't quit. We already know for a year life happens, shit happens, it just does. But you got to show up tired. You got to just up. That has been my thing for the past week is showing the fuck up. Say it with me, guys. Show the f*ck up.

Dr. Shon: 2:09

Tonight, we will be talking about conquering procrastination, pursuing mastery, embracing AI and navigating global challenges. These are some weird times we're living in. For all of us, we don't really know what's going to be happening in the next couple of months or a couple of years, but I do know one thing we will be growing in the next year. We will not be a victim of fear and propaganda that they put on the news every single day. Yes, you want to be in the know, but don't let this stuff take you down and allow you to feel defeated. There are so many things that we can do as Niiji, as my, tribe to overcome every obstacle. What I learned in eight days of showing up is momentum is building even when the energy is low. For instance, today my energy was drained.

Dr. Shon: 3:02

The one thing that I hate is doing dental claims, which is primarily the reason why our dental office, our dental practice, motivational Dentistry, is going out of network, because dealing with insurance claims and battling with the fees and chasing things when you're already done with the work is such a nightmare. When I first started this office, I consulted with a fee negotiator person who was supposed to give me the highest fees, but it ended up being just crappy fees and sometimes I'm just working for free. So now we are headed out of network. So we don't have to have these days where I'm just sitting for three or four hours trying to close claims. I hate it. Yes, I could have somebody to do it. Yes, I should delegate it. But who wants to delegate something like that? I'd just rather get rid of it. And we don't have enough staff to do all of that right now. We just don't. And then these insurance claims are confusing, and then that means I would have to train them. I just want to get out of network. Every time I do claims it's just oh. It reminds me of working for the state of florida division of disability determinations and sitting at that damn desk all day.

Dr. Shon: 4:12

I felt like I was walking into prison, which is the primary reason why I decided to study for the DAT and come to dental school, why I decided to apply, because I didn't know I was going to get in. Talking about come. Yeah, momentum is building. This is day eight. It's very early in the process, especially when you want to be consistent, but every day counts. If you don't show up for any one of the days in the 365 days, then this experiment is gone to the trash can and we can't have it. I really want to prove something to myself, prove something to my tribe, that we can do this. We are in this together, guys. We are in this together and I can't wait to see your wonderful faces as we continue to grow our beautiful, positive, energetic, authentic, no judgment zone, truly ourself, community period. So consistency is like a muscle. Every day that we show up, we are strengthening that muscle to show up even more and it makes it a lot easier.

Dr. Shon: 5:18

I can recall those days in dental school. You guys, dental school is just one of the most draining, exciting, dream-filled periods of your life, because you know that you've been chosen to be there. But you also know that you cannot play around while you there at least not at Meharry Medical College because they don't play the radio. They don't play the radio. From the time you step foot on the canvas to the time you leave, there's no radio playing. There is no radio around. Like, where is the radio? Can we play the radio? No, we got another test for you, I'm just kidding. Some of the best days of my life, but also some of the most challenging, dedicated, discipline, lack of procrastination days of my life, and I have to thank my classmates for that. They know who they are. I have to thank my study buddies for that. They know who they are. Because without my study buddies, my classmates, I don't know where I will be. I don't know. I just really don't know. I really don't know where I will be.

Dr. Shon: 6:23

This challenge has made me realize you don't need perfect conditions to be consistent. You need discipline, a decision and a deeper why. You don't need perfect conditions to be consistent. You need discipline, decision and a deep reason for why. The three d's you need the three d's of habit formation. That's discipline, a decision and determination. That's your why, like why, are you on this course to consistency? Why is this a skill that we want to put under our belt? Why are we showing up? What is the end goal? What is the end game, guys? What is the end game in all of this? What is it? What is it? Answer that question. What is the end game for you? If you could master consistency today. How would that impact your life? How could that make your life much better? How can that make your life much better? How can you that make your life much better? We are now on book review of eat that frog.

Dr. Shon: 7:30

So in chapter eight, set your three most important goals and write them down daily. If you don't write your goals, then they're like wishes or dreams, and only three percent of us have clear written goals. I want my tribe to be the tribe that is writing our goals down on paper. Get you some paper right now, tribe, go, find you a piece of paper and a pen and just write one goal that you want to do for the next year. If you have never written a goal in your life, today is the day. I want somebody to go and write their goal down. Only you can do this. Write your three most important goals down and take 30 seconds. Don't spend the whole day. Don't take a lot of time.

Dr. Shon: 8:13

In 30 seconds, what are your three most important goals when it comes to business, career, family relationships, financial health, personal professional development, socially with your community, and list three biggest problems or concerns in your life right now. What are they? With business and career, my goal is to become a fellow with the Academy of General Dentistry, become very proficient in implantology and just to really hone in on practice management and grow the practice to a multi-level practice level and just learn more about business With dentistry. It's heavily invested into business, more than anything I've ever seen. It's a huge learning curve for me. Three of my business goals three family and relationship goals is just to really just start a family, continue to grow my relationship built on love and trust and honesty and fun and friendship, and with my family I want to really move closer to my family, but that's impossible right now. But that is that would be a goal, but that's not realistic because of this dental practice this dental practice financially I would like to diversify my income. I would like to continue to develop royalties. So these are things that you can make money in your sleep, such as books, music, podcasting, youtube. These are things that you do up front and they pay you later. And royalties a lot of people allow companies to steal their royalties and then they make money off of their songs and music and books for forever, and you see a lot of this in the news when people sell their creativity and then it leaves them in financial shambles.

Dr. Shon: 10:15

Health three health goals for me would be to work out more consistently, eat better and to meditate more. Personal and professional development that would be to take one ce course minimum a day, or at least a couple times per week. Personal just to focus on self-care keep your hand, keep my nails done, get a pedicure, get a massage, just relax so that I don't get burned out. I'm talking about you, don't get burned out, but I'm talking about me. And then socially and community building my twi my twi my twi what's up. My twi Building my tribe on Twitch and other social platforms so that I can communicate better, being more engaged in the community and also just starting back something that we call the Dream Emergency Walk, which is you have your dreams, they are an emergency and we started a walk for youth.

Dr. Shon: 11:17

I had to stop doing the Drea mergency Walk because nobody would donate because I'm a doctor and people feel like I'm a millionaire just because I'm a doctor, when I'm actually the one of them. I'm from the hood, so I'm really not a rich doctor at all. I'm just trying to make it out, even still now. So I had to pause that until I grow my community and they understand that I am not a millionaire. I am just trying to make it out still to this day, and if you keep trying, you shall succeed, and one day I'm going to succeed. I will now. I just gave you an example of how you can write your goals, or how to think about those three most important goals, and I didn't spend like a whole day thinking about it, because this is something that should be off the top of the dome. Subconsciously, you know what those three most important goals are. All right, our ultimate goal is to live a happy, healthy, long life, and Brian mentions this rule in the book.

Dr. Shon: 12:22

It is the quality of time at work that counts and the quality of time at home that matters. Do y'all understand that? So when you at work, your quality, your skills, the more you improve them, the more you don't procrastinate. You stay on top of your business. You're growing in your field. That's quality. You want to do more quality so that you can produce more in less time. But it is the quantity of time that you spend at home that matters. The more time you're home with your family. This is really what's going to matter. Take time to smell the flowers and balance your life. It is not an option. It's not an option, guys. Balance your life. We ain't got time to be playing around either. We ain't got time to play around, but don't you need a break? Take a break, learn your body. I had to pay.

Dr. Shon: 13:13

I had a patient recently from the islands and they told me we were just talking about the differences between the islands and here and they were just telling me how they don't like the US because we work too hard. In America we work too hard, and it's true Even from me being a child. I always saw my grandmothers working day and night. They didn't really have time for us on their free time. It was either work and church and school. It was always work, though Work was always taking them away from me, taking my grandma Eartha away from me, because they had no choice. They were certified nurse. Assistants Didn't make much, so you have to work long hours all the time just to provide for your family. So the patient was like y'all Americans don't know how to shut down, you don't have any family time. And they were right. It's like we grind so hard that we actually forget how to live, and this is something that we don't want to do. That's why hood to hood is important. I want us to elevate our minds so that we out here just taking this fake money and turning it into land, real estate royalties. Say it with me, guys land, real estate royalties, investment these are the things you want to turn the fake money into, but the money is not backed by gold, which is why there's a lot going on right now. What are your three goals for right now? Write those down, and that's basically chapter eight. We're moving right along to chapter nine.

Dr. Shon: 14:51

Prepare thoroughly before you begin. Clean your space, set up your tools, get your writing materials, your login information, your access codes, email everything you need to start working and keep working until it's done. When I'm doing a procedure, such as an extraction or filling or any procedure, I already know what material I need. We have a clinic manual where it's a list of things that I already know that we need, and this should be already on my tray when I go in for the procedure. This is called being prepared thoroughly before you begin. It's nothing worse than having an assistant who doesn't prepare everything before we begin. So I'm halfway through a procedure and we're stopping to go get something. That is not cool. We want to be prepared ahead of time, so it always helps to double check. I'm halfway through a procedure and we're stopping to go get something. That is not cool. We want to be prepared ahead of time, so it always helps to double check everything. So now I tend to just check everything before we start until I can trust the assistant to have everything laid out. But you really need to double check everything so this can go for any aspect of your life. To double check everything, so this can go for any aspect of your life.

Dr. Shon: 16:08

When I was preparing for the national board's dental exam in dental school and we had to study like maybe three, four months before the test, we need all of our books, all your pens, all your markers, anything for notes. You need to pack you a lunch. You need to have something to drink, some spare money in case you want to take a walk and take a break. It's like you need to be prepared to study. It can go to any area of your life. Just prepare thoroughly before you begin.

Dr. Shon: 16:33

You want to make sure your work area is comfortable, attractive and conducive to long work periods, periods, clean and neat. This is why my friends and my study group we would study at vanderbilt library. We were preparing for the national boards or a big exam. We would study at the library because the library is clean, it's quiet, it's attractive and it's conducive for long study hours. Sometimes you're home, you just get to focus on the bed. It's like I want to go to sleep. It helps to get into the library or with other study buddies so that you can stay focused and you have everything you need. That way, if you get tired, you have these other focus-driven people around you who are not playing games, so it keeps you motivated to stay up and keep going. If you're in the library and you see all the students studying, it makes you realize, hey, I'm not doing this alone, I have other people out here trying to get it, everybody's out here trying to get it. But if you're at home or in a loud environment, you don't have all your books, you're just wasting time. Make sure this is important to prepare thoroughly before you begin. This is going to fuel you. This is fuel to help you advance.

Dr. Shon: 17:50

Think about how many books people have not written. You got a book in you that you have not written. Think about it. How many books have people not written? How many degrees have people not completed? What about life tasks not completed? All because the lack of preparation? Think about all of the things that have been left incomplete due to the lack of preparation. How many things have you not done because you weren't prepared? If you show up and you're not ready, it's just uh, I don't even feel like doing it. No more. Launch towards your dreams. You miss 100 other shots that you don't take.

Dr. Shon: 18:34

Guys, develop courage by acting as if you already have courage and behave accordingly. This means have courage and take that first step. Me showing up on Twitch guess what? This is me having courage, showing up, taking that first step, taking that leap of faith, being unapologetic and not surrendering to my fear, not surrendering to the negative things that can happen. When I go live, I'm still trying to grow my audience. You can't surrender to those feelings. Show up for your purpose and the right tribe will find you, and that's what any goal that you have. Show up for yourself, show up for your purpose and your tribe will find you.

Dr. Shon: 19:18

So, as long as I come on here and do me and I like learning I'm a learner, a reader, a leader, a dentist, a rapper. I'm going to be whatever, whatever I can do that aligns with my spirit and makes me happy, and I encourage you to do the same. But whatever, you don't not take the shot, 100% of the shots you don't not take, the shot 100 of the shots you don't take is just a waste and you're gonna miss 100 of the shots you take. Okay, you don't take. You miss 100 of the shots you don't take. You can't climb the mountain if your boots aren't laced. How many of us got books, things that just are waiting?

Dr. Shon: 20:02

It's time to activate, guys. Activate your mind today, activate on your dreams today. Turn up, turn up, turn up today. Let me see you turn up for your dreams. Let me see you turn up for your goals. Let me see you turn up for your future. Let me see you turn up because you bow, hey, yay. So turn up like what? This is what we're talking about taking that first step. I want you guys to take that first step. Or, if you're on a journey, continue to put one foot in front of the other anytime you feel defeated. You don't feel like showing up, still show up and don't give up. Don't quit. You will be met with so many obstacles. That's what hood to hood is all about being met with hundreds and hundreds of obstacles and still overcoming them and still standing on business, still saying you know what? This door didn't work, that door didn't work, I can't have a seat at that table. I don't know what this road leave. You know what? I'll make my own road, I'm gonna make my own path, I will build my own table, I will set my own seats, I will build my own door. It might take you a little bit longer, but the first step is to start and to keep going longer, but the first step is to start and to keep going one foot in front of the other.

Dr. Shon: 21:30

Now, moving on to chapter 10. It says take one oil barrel at a time. You don't need the whole, you don't need to see the whole highway, just the next step. He talks about this journey that he had while he was crossing the desert and a lot of people didn't make it cross this desert because they died. And a lot of people didn't make it across this desert because they died, they got lost with the sandstorms. He says that they took it one oil barrel at a time. This is an old saying and I really like that he put this in here it says by the yard it's hard, by the inch it's a cinch. That just means, one step at a time, accomplish your biggest goals.

Dr. Shon: 22:05

Chapter 11, upgrade your key skills. A major reason for procrastination and feeling inadequate is the lack of confidence and the inability in key areas of a task when your skills and knowledge become obsolete. That your skills and knowledge become obsolete at a rapid pace. You want want to update, upgrade your key skills at all times. Procrastination often stems from feeling inadequate. Your knowledge can expire very fast. Now the basketball coach Pat Rowley said anytime you stop striving to get better, you are dying, bound to get worse. So are you striving to get better? Guess what? If you're not striving to get better today, then you're bound to get worse. And a lot of people who are not striving to get better probably won't even make it to this part of the video because this is too heavy. Like this is just too much. But for the right people with the right ears that want to never stop learning, you're bound to get better.

Dr. Shon: 23:06

Continuous learning is the minimum requirement in any field. Regardless of what field you're in, regardless of what degree you have, regardless of what your career title is, regardless of who you are never stop learning. You only start to develop mental health condition conditions, alzheimer's, dementia. You start to settle not being able to read or write or speak up for yourself or have confidence when you stop learning. If you want to continue to grow in any field and surpass your competitors or just surpass the competition, let me say that again Maybe I shouldn't have took that shot Never stop learning. This is continuous learning and any skill is a minimum requirement. When you increase your skills, you increase your confidence, you increase your production, you increase your mood and guess what? We're going to decrease procrastination. Every time you learn a new skill, you are fighting procrastination. How cool is that? Just because you're here on this live or watching this on YouTube or listening to this on the Hood to Hooded podcast, you are fighting procrastination and increasing your chances at being more successful than you already are and being more great and amazing from inside out.

Dr. Shon: 24:33

Head high, shoulders back, standing tall, standing on business and fighting for your dreams. Every time you learn and show up for something that is challenging you and reminding you to fight for your life, fight for yourself. Don't let these people in this news and the naysayers and the people who not trying to grow deter you from living your best life period. The three steps to mastery do y'all want to be masters at your career or along your dream, as you're fighting to be something better, do you want to be a master at it? These are the three steps of mastery.

Dr. Shon: 25:17

Get a pen, get a piece of paper and write it down so you always know, dang, if I want to master my life and my career, these are the things that I must do, and this applies to any career, any field, any person students, career-driven people, entrepreneurs, business owners. This applies to all of us dentists, doctors, professors, engineers, anybody a chef, bakers, anybody. So it says three steps to mastery. This is number one. The first step Read in your field for at least one hour each day. This will increase your effectiveness and productivity. We always practice, and every day we just practicing that life, guys. That's how I feel. Every day I am here just practicing on this ghetto ass earth, just practicing, guys. But we practice to get better.

Dr. Shon: 26:12

Number two take every course, seminar, attend conferences, business meetings, go to sessions, workshops and sit in the front. Take notes. Are you taking notes right now? Purchase the audio and of the most knowledgeable, competent people in your field. If I know someone is good at veneers, I'm gonna be in that class. If I know that this conference is gonna help me get better at oral surgery, I need to be there and sit in the front. That's how you get the most engagement. Take notes I recently attended an implant ce here in my local area and I was the only one who had my notepad out. I know I look crazy and nobody else everybody else maybe they were there for the free food or even though it was a very boring seminar, I would probably say it was like a one out of ten on excitement and engagement and fun and entertaining. It was boring as all hell but I still took notes because I felt like that's just something I have to do. It's a skill that I love. That's how I can remember this and learn something from it.

Dr. Shon: 27:18

Number three listen to audio in your car. The average car owner sits behind the wheel 500 to 1000 hours per year. Driving time equals learning time. You want to use every opportunity that you can to build your mental muscle with mental exercise instead of driving and commuting an hour to a day and listening to some. We all love to turn up. We all want to 95 degrees. We all want to. We all want to do that boots on the ground. But what about turning on a podcast such as the hood to hood podcast or a podcast in your field while you're driving, just to build your mental muscle and keep you motivated, inspired for greatness? I feel like that was a lot of gems for us to grow and continue to. We knocking on beating procrastination up. We fighting right now we're in a battle, we're in a war. We're in a war with procrastination.

Dr. Shon: 28:18

The energy drink sometimes can be a lifesaver to keep you up at night when you have to stay up to the morning time until the test come. I remember those days when you have to stay up to the morning time until the test come. I remember those days studying all night until the test came and sleeping at the school. All the classmates just here at the school in pajamas with books, looking crazy. The test is at 8 am and we sleep. We got an hour before the test. That's how dental school is. It's like going home. What is that? Do I have a home? Dental school is my home. This campus is life, so sometimes those energy drinks will keep you woke when you're studying for the dat or any other admissions test, but they are bad for your teeth.

Dr. Shon: 29:06

They are bad and bougie, energy drinks real bad and bougie, they're going to have you all jacked up. Why? The three oral health care risks from energy drinks is number one high acidity, and the acid erodes enamel faster than soda. But both of them, in my opinion, are terrible, but they are more acidic than just soda. Now that's really bad. Number two they have excess sugar. This bacteria in your mouth is going to feed off this excess sugar, produce more acid and lead to decay. Number three dry mouth.

Dr. Shon: 29:42

These energy drinks contain caffeine. Caffeine dehydrates your, reducing the saliva that protects your teeth. You got three things going on with the energy drinks. And then if you put not brushing and flossing consistently on top of that, then you are headed for energy drink decay. And I know you are tired, but there's a better way. And I know you are tired, but there's a better way Water, rest, eating better, eating fruits and veggies that have natural energy sources will definitely improve your health over time and it will save your teeth, save you a lot of money and price. And fillings, root canals down the line. Say no to energy drinks, guys. And fillings, root canals down the line. Say no to energy drinks, guys. If you're an energy drink drinker, if you're an energy drink drinker, if you are an energy drink consumer, then that's not the move. That's not the move. It's totally not the move. We're going to leave the energy drinks where they are and just say no to energy drinks.