Focus On Consistency Instead Of Intensity
Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come. Dwayne Johnson
What are you trying to achieve?
Are you consistent in showing up to achieving your goal or you want to get it once?
Many of us tend to do the latter rather than the former.
We set a goal for our-self, layout plan to achieve it but often forget to add the key ingredient. Consistency.
For some reason, consistency seems to take a backseat to intensity in modern society and I can see why. Consistency isn’t glamorous. Consistency isn’t exciting and consistency sure as heck isn’t easy.
“It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.” ― Anthony Robbins
A lot of us wants to achieve our grand vision within a short period of time.
We want to put in all our energy into it at once and when we fail, we become disappointed and term ourselves a failure.
The simple act of adding consistency to achieving your goal can change all that.
You want to build a billion-dollar business. Showing up to work on the project every day is where the consistency comes in.
You want to write a book, showing up to write every day is where consistency comes in.
You want to create your art, showing up to make your art every day is where consistency comes in.
You want to be fit, showing up to exercise every day is where consistency comes in.
Consistency creates compound effects over time until the result becomes visible.
LONG-TERM success is what you’re after. Consistency is the vehicle that will help you achieve those long-term results.
Intensity works for a short period of time and most times, the results are not always seen.
It’s not about intensity, it’s about consistency…. if all you do is go to the dentist twice a year, your teeth will fall out. You have to brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes Simon Sinek
Consistency is all about showing up to your work every single day. And consistency is the glue that holds together good habits.
You have won half of the battle if you will commit to showing up every day. The rest is up to skill, knowledge drive and execution. Says Jeff Olson in his book The Slight Edge.
Break things into small parts
Consistency takes arduous tasks and makes them as simple as eating or breathing. Making it over the initial hump takes time, but the long term benefits are immeasurable.
What is that project you are finding difficult to start?
What about that book you are planning to publish?
What is that business you are trying to start?
Is there a way you can break things down into different parts or components. If yes, Good. Start by solving it one after the other.
Majority of people might say this method is slow but that is the only way to getting started.
The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
You want to write a book. Outline what your book is all about and start from one piece, then the other and in no time you are through.
I have read over 40 books this year and if someone had told me I would be able to that, I will disagree. Yet carving time out to read every day is all that made the difference.
Reading for an hour a day and learning to love reading made it possible for me to consistently finish books.
It is nothing to go all out and say you want to finish a book at once. But rather creating time from your schedule and make it a reading time is where the consistency comes in.
You don’t start a marathon thinking about the miles ahead of you, you start by running one step at a time.
One of the reasons people often forget these method works is because most times, people always want to see the result of their work immediately.
Consistency doesn’t create an instant result. But rather the result builds up over time till it becomes visible.
Being consistent is the simplest and surest way to get what you want. Whether it’s pursuing a concrete goal, trying to make a life change or trying to be a better person. Consistency over time is more powerful than anything else out there.
In all its all about what we want to be (identity) and not what we want to have (outcome). Says Derek Sivers in his book Anything You Want.
To have something (a finished recording, a business, or millions of dollars) is the means, not the end.
To be something (a good singer, a skilled entrepreneur, or plain happy) is the real point.
Consistency brings out what you want to be because the result becomes visible in the long run. And intensity brings about what you want to have.
The choice is yours for the taken. But remember in all our identity says everything about us.
