In a culture that values quick results and instant recognition, it is interesting that we tend to ignore consistency – which, for better or worse, is maybe one of the most powerful forces behind any great accomplishment in life. It does not matter if you want to become better in business, get healthier, change dietary habits, or simply improve as a human being; when you perform smaller and more sustainable actions across time, you will be creating a much greater dividend to the quality of your life than if you made big changes infrequently.
1. Why Consistency is More Important Than Motivation
Motivation can help a lot – it is usually the thing that gets you excited to take action. Counter intuitively, motivation is also unreliable and will taper-off quickly. One day you want to take action and some days not at all – this is where consistency fits into the equation.
Being consistent is doing what you are supposed to do when you don't want to do it. Being consistent is taking small mindful / deliberate action every day because that is what you are striving to do. It may be small, but time will multiply these little baby steps into big results. When you ask the most successful people what they would say about motivation, they are not going to say they acted on motivation. They are going to say they acted on discipline and consistency.
You can liken it to dental hygiene - could you imagine if you did not brush your teeth because you were not motivated to do it? Nope – brushing your teeth is a habit. If you can get to the point of habit with your goals, success will become physics.
2. The Compounding Impact of Small Actions
When seeking substantial results, understand that the compounding impact of small actions - taking small consistent actions will gain momentum over time, and you will have momentum that cannot be stopped, similar to taking small amounts of money and saving it every day will eventually also turn into thousands of dollars when time passes.
Writing 500 words, a day becomes a published book in months. Exercising 20 minutes a day can drastically improve your health in a year's time. Posting helpful content online each week can exponentially grow your audience and/or brand.
The catch is you are never going to be perfect, but you will make progress. You will take small steps and in no time, you have built something astonishing by just being consistent.
3. Strategies for Maxing Out Consistency in Your Life
Maxing out consistency does not mean that you do everything perfect which is impossible, but it is simply doing the important things over and over again in a consistent way.
Here are some suggestions to do just that.
Start Small: Begin with small habits that are a no-brainer, and or simply things you can maintain. I would rather you do a little bit every day, rather than a person who does a lot one day, only to quit.
Have a Clear Destination: Be clear on what you want and why it matters. Having a clear "why" is the difference when it comes to consistency and long-term.
Establishable Patterns of Routine: Use one of your current foundational habits to attach this new habit to. For example work out right
4. Real-Life Examples of Success through Consistency
Many historical figures have credit success through consistency:
Writers (Stephen King publishes nearly every single day of the year—even on holidays, he publishes). This is how he has published dozens of best-selling books.
Athletes (Serena Williams and Cristiano Ronaldo practice and train every day of the year—even on days they do not have a match). Their consistency keeps their effort and performance at the highest peak.
Entrepreneurs (successful business owners post, plan, and market their brands every week for months and years). Over time, the effort they applied compounds, creating a successful business.
These did not become successful and established overnight; it was through effort that their greatness expanded.
5. A Mindset Shift: More Progress is Better Than Perfection!
One detrimental issue that many people struggle with consistency, is they expect results could be instantaneous! When results don't come fast enough, people may quit. But, success is almost never instantly seen!
True success is developed in the time in between the experience; through repetition, effort, learning, and small changes. When you stop focusing on "I need results, now!" and start focusing on "I've built progress today," you will spend enough time consistently to earn the reciprocated outcome.
Remember, perfection is not the goal, progress is!
6. The Role of Consistency in Building Trust in Yourself
Every time you keep a commitment to yourself you deepen your belief in your ability to follow through. Small wins create trust in yourself. Trust then creates further action. And the cycle continues.
This is often the reason why consistent people appear more confident and successful. They have demonstrated to themselves, many times, that what they say, they will do.
Once you trust yourself to be consistent you will be limited in what you can achieve.
Conclusion
Consistency can feel simple, but it is at the heart of every great success story. Small things, done over time, develop your habits, your mind, and your outcome. You can apply these principles to fitness, your business, or self-growth. The simple fact is that it isn't what you do once, it's what you do consistently.
Start small. Keep it steady. And overtime your small daily tasks will create big life results.
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