“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” – Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson
The last two articles I’ve shared with you the Six Essential Elements of Success learned while earning my black belt in Shotokan karate.
When you have a definite plan for Commitment, Focus, Discipline and Follow-Through you are creating a path to success.
But the last two elements are the ones that will guarantee you make it to the finish line.
Consistency
Consistency is critical to success. It defines your mindset, your actions, and also defines how people perceive you because they can depend on you to do the right thing.
However, consistency is never easy, and some people would say, like Oscar Wilde, that consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative! I don’t agree.
As someone who has a very engaged and active imagination I have found that inconsistency can lead to distractions and shiny object syndrome which derails the process of getting the results you want.
“Change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency.” Ron Burton
Growing up with ADD, consistency was not one of my strengths. In fact, I once had a boss who said the most consistent thing about me was my inconsistency. I took that as a compliment. I didn’t want to be like everyone else!
But there was something I learned the hard way over the years.
To get anything done with any degree of success, you need consistency; consistent actions, taken over time, get consistent results.
To achieve greatness demands consistency. Without it, you are in a pinball machine, hoping to make it through to the other side. You may be successful, but perhaps not as successful as you would like.
A wise man once told me it was my duty to bring my work to the world, because why else was I given the talent. I had to share it.
But getting out into the world was a task I was unprepared for, and I was inconsistent in my efforts so my results were lukewarm.
Martial arts taught me through vigorous and sometimes painful repetitions that the only way to get good at something is to be consistent in your actions.
There are two kinds of consistency: negative consistency, and positive consistency.
Negative consistency is not living up to your word.
Do you find yourself trying new things without waiting to see if something works before you change course.You don’t see the results immediately, so you try something else.
Spending money when you know you promised yourself you would be more prudent. Being inconsistent with setting goals that will move you closer to what you hope to achieve. Choosing to squander your time on actions that don’t get results.
Lack of inconsistency is also the result of not believing you can achieve what you set out to do?
- Do your conversations dither back and forth rather than being direct, afraid to ask for what you want.
- Are you ambivalent about the changes you want to make, and therefore use procrastination as an excuse to avoid the inevitable?
- Do you want a more sustainable incomes but live on hope rather than action.
- Do you swing from one extreme to the other. Either all in, or not in at all.
We live in uncertain times and it’s sometimes easier to put aside the things you know you should be doing because you are afraid, and so you do nothing.
When it comes to making changes in life, to our thinking and behavior, we dither. We read self-help books and hope that it will magically give us the strength to do something different. We scramble to find answers when all we need are the right questions served in the right way to get clarity and move forward.
Positive Consistency is the key to greatness.
A positive mindset is the starting point. When you believe in yourself, and your capabilities you are more likely to consistently show up to do what it takes to reach a satisfying outcome.
Talent and knowledge will take you so far, but consistent actions taken over a consistent amount of time will lead to consistent results.
Consistency lowers your stress levels. No more worrying about what you need to do, haven’t done, or will be doing.
Simple steps to positive consistency:
- What is my priority today? Why is it a priority?
- What can I delegate if I am overloaded?
- What is unnecessary?
- What can I automate?
- What habits do I need to cultivate to stay consistent?
- What will help me stay consistent? Calendar, reminders, accountability partner?
When you can identify the small steps we need to take to be consistent it will eventually turn into habits that you can utilize every day to keep you on track.
Positive Consistency wins the day!
Perseverance
“Studies indicate that the one quality all successful people have is persistence. They’re willing to spend more time accomplishing a task and to perseverance in the face of many difficult odds. There’s a very positive relationship between people’s ability to accomplish any task and the time they’re willing to spend on it.” Dr. Joyce Brothers.
The final and sixth element for creating success, and perhaps the most important one of all is Perseverance.
If I gave up every time I was too tired, or I couldn’t perform to a level that was expected, I would never have achieved my black belt in karate.
If I refused to participate in the training sessions, I never would have developed the discipline to overcome the obstacles.
If I lost focus, then I lost my dream of achieving higher levels, and if I didn’t follow-through and become consistent in my approach, I would have walked away from it all.
But I intentionally persevered through the rigorous training and reached my goal of having a Black Belt!
The same is true of building my business.
When I first started out several years ago, I had nothing more than a good idea with no idea how I was going to implement my idea; what steps to take, how would I connect with people; how would I develop my message were all unclear. Indeed, what was the message?
What I knew for sure was I had all the knowledge I needed inside of me, and what I didn’t know, I could learn. And most importantly, I knew how to be persistent.
I’ve spent the better part of my life taking risks, stepping off cliffs, and hoping I would have what I needed when I landed. I’ve seen my fair share of craziness, lost causes, failures, misery and lives wasted because they were unwilling to step up, step out, and persist beyond the places that were deeply uncomfortable.
All my life I’ve been showing up in foreign cities with only minimal connections and building a life there. London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, Amsterdam, New York and Bali. It’s been quite a ride!
Like everything else I’ve done, I am committed to do whatever it takes to make it work. Are you?
Through persistence, I’ve made lots of mistakes, spent way more money than was necessary, chased bright shiny objects, and in the end, through failures and success, learned what it takes to run an efficient and consistent business.
Abraham Lincoln said, “I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come.”
I completely agree with this statement otherwise I give up too easily, and that’s not an option.
When you think of perseverance and your business, or aspects in your personal life, ask yourself these questions:
- Am I committed to my goals?
- Am I clearly focused on what actions I must take?
- Do I have the self-discipline to meet any challenge?
- Do I follow-through on all opportunities
- Am I being consistent?
- Am I ready to persistently follow my dreams until I achieve them?
If you answered no to any of these questions, then I want you to ask yourself this next question.
- What will it take for me to develop these attributes?
- Do I need someone to help steer me in the right direction?
- Do I need someone to hold me accountable so I get things done?
When you are prepared to do what’s necessary to succeed, you are consistent in your actions and you persevere through the challenges. And you know when it’s time to quit, and when it’s time to double down.
Start today to build these six key elements into your plan for success. Be committed, focused, disciplined, follow-through, consistent and persevere. If you do all that, your success is almost guaranteed!
“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.” – Leon Joseph Cardinal Suenens
Now it’s time to make your dreams come true! And be Fearless!
If you need a reminder about the other four elements here are the links to previous articles: Commitment and Focus AND Discipline and Follow-Through
You are invited to check out Transformational Strategies for Success designed to help you take ownership of your amazing skills and talents, be more confident in your choices and claim more authority at work, so you can find greater confidence and comfort across all dimensions of your career and be more passionate about the life you live. If you want more information please DM me.