Consistency over perfection is a principle I have believed in for a long time — but last Sunday gave me the most powerful reminder of it I have ever witnessed. I was born in June 1989, and shortly after I arrived into the world, my home county of Mayo reached the All-Ireland Football Final for the first time since 1951. They lost that day. The first final I remember was 1996. I was seven years old, watching on TV, so nervous that with ten minutes to go I left the room because I could not bear to watch the ending. Mayo lost by a single point.
The following year they reached the final again. I was lucky enough to get a ticket and experience it live. We lost again. Over the years that followed, Mayo became known for one of the most heartbreaking losing streaks in world sport. Final after final slipped away. 2004. 2006. 2012. 2013. 2016. 2017. 2020. 2021. Eleven All-Ireland Final defeats in my lifetime.
Consistency Over Perfection: What 75 Years of Waiting Teaches Us
When Mayo reached the final again last weekend for the twelfth time since I was born, there was not much expectation. Inside the county there was cautious hope, but outside it most people had already written the script. Kerry were the more experienced team, the favourites. On paper it was a foregone conclusion. But sport — and life — is not played on paper. What Mayo lacked in experience they made up for with hunger, belief, and an incredible never-say-die attitude. They chased every ball as if the game depended on it. They turned losing situations into winning ones. They never stopped believing.
When the final whistle blew, Mayo had won by three points. For the first time in 75 years. After eleven final defeats in my lifetime. Around me, grown men hugged each other through tears. Women danced with joy. Children cried. Complete strangers embraced as if they had known each other forever. It was one of the most surreal and emotional experiences of my life.
What Last Sunday Taught Me About Showing Up
The lesson is not about talent or perfect preparation. It is about consistency over perfection — about showing up again after every setback, refusing to stop believing, and trusting that the effort compounds even when the results are not there yet. According to research on identity and habit formation, sustained effort over time reshapes not just outcomes but how we see ourselves — and that shift is what ultimately makes the difference.
Every Mayo team that lost a final left the jersey in a better place than they found it. Every generation inspired the next. Every setback built resilience. This victory belonged to the players on the pitch, but it was also built on the sacrifices of every team that came before them. The seeds planted by those earlier generations became the trees someone else got to sit under. The same is true in fitness, in work, and in life.
Cherish the People Beside You
As incredible as winning was, what I will remember most is not the score. It is who I shared it with. Family. Friends. Complete strangers who all became part of the same story for one unforgettable afternoon. Whether life gives you victories or defeats, the moments with the people you care about are the ones that last. At our gym in Long Island City, that is something we see reflected in training every day — people pushing through hard sessions not just for themselves, but because the people beside them make it worth showing up.
Keep Showing Up
Whatever challenge you are facing this week — getting back into the gym, chasing a fitness goal, dealing with work stress, or simply trying to be a little better than yesterday — the principle is the same. Consistency over perfection. Not perfection on day one. Not a flawless run. Just showing up again, believing it is still possible, and putting one foot in front of the other. Because you never know when your own 75-year wait might finally come to an end.
If you are looking for a place that makes showing up easier — book a free intro call. Come and train with people who understand that the journey is the point.
Have a great week.
Seamus Keane, NASM CPT
Co-founder, The Trinity NYC
