At first sight, consistency sounds incredibly boring. It doesn't sound sexy. It lacks glamour and excitement. But, when you look at it more closely, consistency is anything but boring. It is the key to achievement and success. It is a magical power that can transform your business.
Consistency creates results
Consistency is the act of repeating the same action regularly and without exceptions. Consistent action is the opposite of erratic behavior. Consistency creates powerful habits; lack of consistency and exceptions mean that you have to start building the habits all over again.
Regular, patient and consistent action is necessary to achieve good results.
Businesses, blogs, podcasts and other ventures often only last for a short time and disappear. Their creators either ran out of steam after a brief attempt or they foolishly expected instant success and gave up when their mediocre efforts were not immediately rewarded.
Most marketing professionals will tell you that sales only come after about seven "touch points" have been established with potential customers. This is the average amount of time that's required to build and win the trust of your customers.
Yet many would be business owners lack the patience and consistency to build such a relationship with their prospects. Instead, when they don't see immediate results from their actions, they conclude that whatever they're doing is not working and jump onto the next shiny object.
80% of success in life is just showing up.
I believe it's Woody Allen who said this. And I can't agree more.
Nearly any goal worth achieving demands regular and consistent efforts. It's the same whether you want to get a black belt in a martial art, master a musical instrument, or become an accomplished writer. You have to show up again and again, whether you feel like it or not.
From my experience in working with clients, those who take consistent action are the ones who achieve their business goals. Those who don't just dream of doing so.
Daily efforts create habits and habits make it easier to make those daily efforts. It's kind of like a feedback system that creates a snowball effect. But to get that snowball effect takes hard work and determination.
Consistency requires planning
Consistency doesn't just happens. It requires planning. What are your business goals? What are your priorities? What steps do you need to take to reach your goals? What repetitive actions are required? What needs to happen? What needs to stop happening? What do you have to let go of? Are your priorities aligned with your core values?
Once you're clear about your priorities, you'll need to create a schedule and block out time in the day to work on those priorities. You'll also need to anticipate and avoid distractions that will take your focus away. Creating daily rituals will help you form habits that will support you in achieving your goals.
Consistency requires patience
Typically, consistency requires that you commit to taking daily action, without seeing immediate rewards. Today we live in a society that demands instant gratification. We can now order something on Amazon Prime at 11pm and it will be on our doorsteps in the morning. Waiting for long-term rewards is tough, and it's no wonder that few people achieve worthwhile long-term success.
Plan for chaos
Of course, life happens and occasionally you'll miss your daily action despite the best laid plans. One way to avoid this is to do what you have planned as early as possible in the day, before the rest of the world makes demands on you (like when you dog wants to go for walkies or play ball).
Another way to avoid disruption to consistent action is to plan for chaos. Accept that you will likely encounter interruptions and surprises on a daily basis and plan for them. If you adopt the mindset that each day there'll be an element of surprise, you can prepare for it. Factor in 30 minutes or so each day to deal with emergencies. That way, if anything unexpected crops up, you'll have some wiggle room instead of having your day thrown off balance.
Consistency isn't about getting quick results. Nor is it about perfect execution. It's about making small, incremental progress that will help you achieve your goals in the long run.
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