Inconsistency is an excuse for lack of discipline

We all get days where we don’t feel it, come on you know what I mean, that 05:00 alarm goes off and you roll over and say no, not today.

You don’t get out of bed, you don’t work out and more importantly the work you said you would do first thing doesn’t get done either.

Is inconsistency just inconsistency or does it go further, is it actually an excuse for a lack of discipline.

Not only that, inconsistency can result in us giving up on our ambitions and turn back right when we’re getting close to to the end goal.

First hand experience

This is something I’ve experienced first hand, for years my life was very much a “go with the flow, no need to worry mentality”. It wasn’t that I didn’t have ambitions I did or even have worries, it was just that I chose a pathway that was far more relaxed and laid back.

Consistency wasn’t needed, I certainly didn’t need a routine, unless you count drinking till 3am in the morning over the weekends as a routine.

It wasn’t until I got into my 30s did I realise that consistency and discipline just wasn’t a part of my life.

The problem with that is when you have goals and certainly life ambitions you realise that actually you’re not going to get anywhere unless you change and become more disciplined and focused in your life.

Consistency is discipline

If you think about it when we talk about consistency it is doing the same thing day in day out at the right times even if we don’t feel like doing it.

So you may have your alarm set for 05:30, wake up and get up every morning, choose the same mug, choose the same coffee brand and make a coffee.

You then begin to start your day with your normal morning routine, a workout, a run or perhaps dancing to what’s on the radio, hey come on we all do it right?

What we don’t tend to think about is the discipline required to maintain that consistency.

Temptation is all around us, from choosing a different coffee blend to the wife or husband tempting you back to bed when you know you have that meeting at 09:00, we’re all human.

Discipline, sometimes, in fact most of the time, requires you to say no to a tempting situation or a proposition that deviates you from your normal consistent morning routine.

E-commerce and consistency

Within the e-commerce sector your customers demand consistency every single time they order from you.

Everytime a customer orders from your online store your order handling process should be the same for customer A as it should be for customer B. No favouritism here.

The products should be packaged the same with a flyer, correctly packaged for the product being shipped and contain that same smiling happy face from a customer service representative.

Your returns procedure should be easy and simple, consistent and be focused on helping the customer either return their products or exchange them.

Should your online store not be consistent in its order handling, shipping processing or return process then you are making a rod for your own back.

A disgruntled customer that feels he/she has received sub standard service is a recipe for negative reviews at best and at worst social media trolling.

So remember consistency isn’t just about doing the same thing, it is about having the discipline to do the same thing day in day out even when you don’t feel like doing it.