You don’t have to be a baseball fan to appreciate what Cal Ripken did.  He played in 2,632 consecutive games over a span of 17 years.  During that span of time, there were days when he played hurt.  There were days when he didn’t feel like playing baseball.  But the streak continued.  His streak is a record that will likely never be broken.

The funny thing about streaks is that they take on a life of their own.  Once the streak gets going, you don’t want to ever let it stop.

Think about starting a class attendance streak.  Every day that you don’t miss a class is another day in the streak.  After about two weeks of not missing any classes, your streak will become something that motivates you.  Here are some ways to help you sustain your streak:

• Keep a visible record of your streak in your room.  You will find a form of personal reward when you update each day of the streak.
• Tell friends and family about the streak and ask them to periodically ask you to update them on the streak.
• Develop the Cal Ripken mentality of “playing hurt.”  You’re not going to feel good every day, but that shouldn’t keep you from sustaining your streak.

The one danger of starting a streak is what happens when the streak is broken.  When Joe Dimaggio’s 56 game hitting streak was broken, he started another hitting streak of 17 games.  That’s the strategy you need to follow.  When one streak ends, another should begin..