The Importance of Consistency

The moments of motivation and inspiration are so exciting – you get a clear vision of what you want, you make a plan and you literally feel on fire with a sense of certainty that you will see this through. Days pass. Some are better than others, but you can count on the fact that usually your initial fire will wane from time to time. You may even experience days in a row where you actually sabotage your progress due to a dip in health, mood, circumstance, etc. So, what is the key that the most successful people stand by and attribute their success to? Consistency. This means that no matter the mood, temptation, change in circumstance, you remain a person of your word. You promised yourself (and potentially your accountability partner) that you would follow through. Now is the time to prove that you have got what it takes.

When you are tired and the couch is calling, you must keep your appointment with the gym/trainer/track – be the person who shows up. Keep your word. You KNOW that you will reap the benefits once you do it.

When you see that AMAZING deal that would prevent you from reaching your weekly savings goal – be the person who sticks to your financial plan and see if you have any ways of making that money elsewhere or putting the item on layby until AFTER you have the funds.

When you are on a holiday and the opportunity for unhealthy foods and drinks everyday beckons – be the person who chooses their health over these temporary indulgences.

This may sound boring or even like overkill – going off track sometimes is normal (and healthy), but when you are trying to REALLY reach a goal, sometimes these little moments are enormous barriers to your progress. On the other hand, they can also be strengthening opportunities for your willpower. Every time you DO show up and LISTEN to that voice that tells you “You are the person who sticks to this”, you are sending powerful messages to yourself and building those all-important mental habits and identities that are the foundation of success in that area.

The other pay off is that usually your goal is in line with what is best for you and the satisfaction of sticking to your goal will actually outweigh the satisfaction of ‘taking some time off’ from the path that you set for yourself. Often those small deviations are the things that bring on guilt, remorse and frustration. You will notice the wording isn’t, “You HAVE to go to the gym”, “You CANT spend that money” – using words like this to ourselves creates a sense of restriction in our minds, making us want to rebel even more. By placing positive connotations on the task and linking it to our better identity that we are striving towards, “You are the person who shows up and improves their health”, “You are the person who saves the money and buys that house”, “You are the person who is polite to people and has meaningful friendships”, creates an opportunity in your mind, rather than a boundary. It is a much healthier message.

So, today, even if you don’t feel like doing that action that will take you to your goal or you are tempted by something out of the ordinary – remind yourself of the person that you are aiming to be and BE that person today. SHOW UP – be consistent. You will feel incredible.