Breaking a Streak Isn’t the End of The World
The progress that you made while maintaining the streak isn’t lost either
Justin Cox broke his journaling streak of 1903 days.
The number might be a little unsatisfying. Yet, the bigger question is: Why break a streak you held for so long?
It was a topic in his newsletter. He swore by the streak for so long, but certain circumstances appeared that were out of his control. When things are out of your control, you should stop worrying about them. That’s what he did.
As unsatisfying as the number sounds, the streak was over.
What does it mean to break a streak?
Snapchat is one of the prime examples of starting and maintaining a streak. People go far and beyond to keep count.
As soon as the hourglass emoji appears, people panic as if the world were ending. My friends would start messaging me here and there to tell me our beloved streaks were dying.
Snapchat isn’t the only place where we have started a streak. Have you ever made a conscious decision to change your habits?
That’s when you generally keep a count to see how far you’ve come. No Alcohol. No Fap. Writing every day or exercising every day, You name it.
When making such a decision, you must be aware of the constraints. The most important one would be that something might go out of your hand, breaking the streak.
What happens if you break a streak?
Nothing. What could go wrong? It’s a count.
Our human minds become linked to that number. When we break the streak, it feels like we have done something wrong. It leads to self-criticism.
It has happened to me quite a lot too. I started many streaks and broke them even before I knew it. There is no sound to a streak breaking, unlike breaking glass which has an awful sound and its pieces shatter within a 10-meter radius.
The worst that can happen is that we tend to fall back into our old habits, which unfortunately happens to many of us.
What should you do if you break a streak?
Don’t do anything and slip back to your old ways. Before you prepare your pitchforks for me, stay with me for the following few lines.
Instead of thinking it isn’t working because you broke a streak, change your outlook and see it as a milestone.
You can set it as a challenge if you see it as a milestone. Getting ahead of it could be your next DESTINATION.
A long jumper[any sport] might keep his longest jump as a milestone to break. They can consider it an achievement as well as a challenge to conquer. That’s where they can improve even more and get past the current barrier in the process.
The progress that you made while maintaining the streak isn’t lost either.
Summary
I have broken a lot of streaks in the past (including Snapchat ones). It led to a lot of self-criticisms and slipping into old habits.
If you have read it till here, chances are you have done the same. Yet, that should never stop you from creating new ones on top of the old remains.
Streaks are a sign of progress, but only if you visit them daily. Without fail, make sure you take a look at the count because it gives you a sense of accomplishment, which goes a long way.
Understand that once you have held it for a while, it should stand as evidence of your discipline. Even if it breaks, you can start a new one. No Questions asked.
Thank you for reading this article. Stop pondering yourself and start accepting your flaws.
