The Power of Showing Up: How Consistency Rewires the Brain for Success

Star Date: 05.24.2025

I used to think breakthroughs were big moments—sudden, dramatic shifts. But what I’ve learned—what God keeps gently teaching me—is that real transformation doesn’t usually show up with a marching band. It comes in the quiet moments when we choose to keep going, even when no one’s watching.

You see, our brains are constantly being shaped by what we do over and over again. Scientists call this neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form and strengthen new pathways based on repeated behaviors and thoughts. In simpler terms? What we practice, we become. Each time we do something—pray, write, show up for someone, exercise, or even just choose kindness—our brain lays down a little path. Do it again tomorrow, and that path becomes a trail. A week later, it’s a road. A month later, a highway.

That’s the power of consistency.

This morning, I’m heading to cardio tennis at 8 a.m.—not because I’m trying to be the next Novak Djokovic, but because I know what movement does for my heart, my mind, and my spirit. And wouldn’t you know it? After 50 years of mostly errant play, something surprising is happening: my backhand, once my biggest weakness, is slowly turning into a weapon. Every time I step onto that court, the brain takes notes. Those misfires from the past are being reshaped into new muscle memory.

And it’s not just on the court.

Before I grab my racket, I do what I’ve done every single morning since late August of 2009: I write. This story. Right here. That’s over 5,700 mornings of showing up. No matter what season I’m in, no matter how I feel, I ask God: What are You doing in my life today? And I write it down. It’s not always polished. Sometimes it’s raw. But it’s always real. And it’s shaping me—one word at a time.

You want to know the secret to success? It’s not in the fireworks—it’s in the faithfulness. Every morning, every act of showing up, tells your brain: this is who I am. And eventually, your brain agrees. The trail becomes a road. The road becomes a highway.

If you’re building a habit, breaking an addiction, or stepping out in faith toward a dream—know this: you’re not failing if it’s hard. You’re just laying down the bricks for a new path. One that leads somewhere beautiful.

And one day, you’ll look back and realize: I became who I am not in one giant leap, but in a thousand small steps of faithfulness.

So keep going. Keep showing up. Let the world chase lightning bolts if it wants to.

You and I? We’ll follow the One who lights the path—
backhand by backhand,
story by story—
one consistent step at a time.  Have a great day.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

— Galatians 6:9