It’s not what we do once in a whilethat shapes our lives. It’s what wedo consistently.– Anthony Robbins
The Key to Success Very Few Talk
About…
Have you ever wondered how some people are able
to achieve massive amounts of success in their field
of endeavor, while others work just as hard but
achieve very little?
It could be said that those who achieve high levels of
success are simply more intelligent, or maybe more
ambitious, or maybe more persistent, or possibly just
luckier than the people in the second group. These
are of course all key factors that certainly can help
people achieve their goals. However, there is just one
ingredient that goes into success that is more
important than anything else. And that ingredient
comes in the form of consistency .
To be consistent means to fully dedicate yourself
completely to a task, activity or goal. It means to
fully stay engaged without distraction.
To be consistent requires a commitment on your
part. It requires that you commit yourself to a
sustained effort of action over the long-term. What
this essentially means is that you keep your word to
yourself and others that you will follow through with
what you set out to do consistently over a period of
time up until the moment your objectives are
achieved.
As such, consistency is all about your
ability to be dependable, reliable and responsible for
all your choices, decisions and actions.
Consistency is about building small empowering
habits and rituals that you partake in every single
day that keep you focused on your highest priorities
and goals. It therefore essentially comes down to
your ability to hold yourself accountable for the daily
choices you make with no excuses and
no complaints . You and you alone are accountable
for what you do and what you fail to do. All
responsibility lies solely in your hands.
To be consistent means to focus on the present
moment while maintaining a long-term view that
helps you measure your results and the impact of
your daily actions. With this regular feedback in your
hands, you are better able to learn from your failures
and mistakes to help you effectively alter your course
of action where required.
Consistency is therefore all about repetition. It’s
about repeating the same actions (habits and rituals)
over and over again; gaining feedback from these
actions and adjusting them accordingly to help you
stay on track as you work towards your goal. And
that, in essence, is the difference between success
and failure in any field of endeavor and the key to
high levels of achievement.
Why People Struggle with Consistency
Even though the concept of staying consistent
seems very simple on the surface, most people
do struggle with this idea. They find it difficult to
stay consistent because there are just too many
distractions. People are simply not focused,
committed or disciplined enough to stick with
something in the short-term for long-term results.
The key reason why most people struggle with
staying consistent over the long-term is that they
only live for the short-term. In other words, if they
don’t get immediate results from their actions, they
don’t see the point with continuing with those
actions over the long-haul. However, the habit of
consistency isn’t about obtaining quick results. It’s
rather about making incremental progress and
improvements over an extended period of time.
Consider for a moment a skill that you have
developed over the years. Maybe you’re a good
singer or guitar player. Maybe you’re a great dancer
or can speak a foreign language very well. No matter
what skill you developed, you developed this skill
over many weeks, months and years. And you
developed it because you applied yourself
consistently toward learning that particular skill.
A Practical Example of Consistency-in-Action
Consider for a moment a child learning how to shoot
a basketball. In the beginning, the child is shown the
proper technique of how to shoot the ball. However,
early on things aren’t easy. They practice and
practice the proper motion and movement but results
are just hard to come by. The basket just seems too
small and too far away. However, the child persists
with practicing their shooting technique over many
weeks, months and years. And through repetition,
they start shooting more baskets.
The results become more consistent over time
because of the muscle memory the child has
developed through the act of repetition. Furthermore,
repetition has helped the child to better understand
what works and what doesn’t work while shooting
the basketball. In other words, they have learned
from their mistakes and errors and made the
necessary adjustments along the way.
Years down the track shooting a basketball has
become second nature, and it’s all because they
committed themselves in the beginning to consistent
daily practice through repetition.
This is of course just one example of consistency-in-
action. It’s just one example of how doing something
consistently over a period of time can reap incredible
results. However, what if the child didn’t commit him
or herself to daily practice? What if they just
practiced once or twice per month? What difference
would that have made years down the track?
Obviously a tremendous amount of difference.
You Are Already Applying Consistency-in-Action
There are no quick results when it comes to a
commitment to consistency. Consistency is rather
about making incremental improvements over time.
The results you are after will eventually come,
however they will only come over an extended period
of time when you commit yourself to consistency-in-
action.
Now of course if for any reason you feel that this is
something that’s difficult to do, then consider for a
moment all the poor habits that people develop over
time.
For instance, regularly snacking on that candy bar or
overeating just a little each day over the course of
many years can lead to major health concerns,
obesity and mobility issues. But of course, you
probably won’t notice what overeating “just a little
today” is doing to you because it really doesn’t make
much of a difference “today”. It probably won’t even
make much of a difference tomorrow or next week,
and maybe not even next month. But over the course
of several years, overeating a little each day makes a
significant difference ; for that is when you finally
start seeing the results from your consistent daily
actions and therein lies the power of consistency.
This is just one example of many where we use
consistency-in-action in a very negative and limiting
way. I’m sure you can probably think of at least a
dozen more examples.
Given this, it’s quite clear that we are certainly
capable of applying the consistency habit into our
lives. However, from here-on-in, it will all be about
applying it in the right way to help you achieve your
desired goals and objectives.
What Consistency Demands From You
Okay, so let’s say that you are intrigued by this idea
of staying consistent and committed to a daily set of
actions aligned with a specific goal you have in mind.
On the surface staying consistent seems quite
straightforward. It’s all about repetition, right?
On a surface level, most people are quite aware of the
value of repetition. Repeating something over and
over again forms the foundation of any skill we are
wanting to learn. What’s however not quite as clear is
what repetition (consistency) demands from each
individual.
Consistency-in-action is not purely about repetition.
It’s rather about evolution.
This is not about mindlessly repeating an action over
and over again. It’s about learning, growing and
adapting your actions that can help lead to
incremental improvements over an extended period
of time.
Consistency-in-action is about gaining ever greater
insights and understandings about what it is you are
doing, and subsequently making the necessary
adjustments to these actions to help improve your
results and performance over the long-haul. In other
words, it’s all about improving your effectiveness and
efficiency at each step of your journey. Therefore
consistency demands that you stay vigilant and
focused on making incremental improvements and
not just sticking with the status quo.
To be consistent means understanding that the
greatest power lies in the present moment. Therefore
consistency demands that you stay vigilant, mindful
and present on the task at hand without losing focus.
It demands that you are able to discipline yourself to
this moment, and only to this moment without
exception.
Many people struggle with consistency when they fail
to see immediate results from their actions.
We live in a society that thrives on instant
gratification. We feel hungry we dial for a pizza; we
get bored we switch on the television; we get lonely
we call up a friend. As we have grown up we have
been hardwired to expect that our desires will
immediately be satisfied. However, when it comes to
achieving any worthwhile goal, the rules are a little
different.
Typically success in any field of endeavor initially
requires that we commit ourselves to taking
consistent daily action for next-to-no-reward. The
rewards will, of course, come over time, however
early on success demands that you put in the work
with very little to show for your efforts. And this is of
course where consistency-in-action comes into play.
You must consistently apply yourself to something
over an extended period of time in order to reap
long-term rewards. This sounds simple on the
surface, but because we all live in a world built upon
instant gratification, is it any wonder that only a
select few people achieve any worthwhile long-term
success?
Consistency Requires Some Planning
In order to maintain consistency over time requires
that you plan ahead . However, this is not so much
about planning as it is rather about forward thinking.
You must think ahead in order to make room for the
consistent actions you will take.
Consistency-in-action demands that you first get very
clear about what your highest priority activities are.
These activities are typically built around your core
values, passions, purpose and goals. If for any
reason your priorities are not aligned with these
areas then you will very likely struggle to maintain
consistency over the long-haul. Ask yourself:
What are my highest priorities?
How are these priorities aligned with
my values, passions, purpose and
goals?
Once you are very clear about the priorities you will
focus on, it’s now time to develop a schedule that
will help you to block out specific time throughout
the day that you will spend working on these highest
priority activities. Ask yourself:
When specifically will I schedule time
to focus on these activities?
How will I ensure that I stay focused
without distraction on the task at
hand?
The key here is of course to develop a routine that
helps direct your efforts, thoughts, and actions
consistently throughout the day. Moreover, it’s all
about building small consistent daily rituals (as part
of that routine) that help you form new habits that
support the goals you are trying to achieve. And
that, in essence, is what it takes to develop
consistency-in-action.
Taking Consistent Action
Now that we have clarity about what consistency
demands from us, it’s time to put consistency into
action, and of course , the key to consistency comes
in the form of proper preparation and focused
attention.
Preparing Yourself for Consistent Action
Before you begin taking consistent action, it’s
important that you mentally prepare yourself by first
establishing a goal or objective that you would like to
achieve. Ask yourself:
What goal would I like to achieve?
Now reverse engineer this goal by progressively
moving from the end outcome to the present
moment backward step-by-step. Really take a deep
look at this goal to get an understanding of how all
the steps and pieces came together over time. Once
done, break this goal down into parts and outline
specifically how you will work through each step. To
help you with this process, ask yourself:
What do I need to do to achieve this
goal?
What repetitive actions or activities
are required?
What specific habits and/or rituals
could I develop to support these
actions?
When will I partake in these
activities? How? When exactly? How
often?
It’s important here to identify specific timeframes you
will be working with that will keep you on track as
you work toward the attainment of your goal. With
timeframes in place, you will work with more purpose
and a sense of urgency . With no timeframes in place,
it will just be too easy to get sidetracked or
distracted throughout this process.
You should now have a very clear idea of what
exactly needs to happen in order to achieve your
desired outcome. It’s now in your hands to follow
through with these specific actions over an extended
period of time to help you accomplish your goal.
There is, however, one additional question you need
to be asking yourself. That question is:
What repetitive activities must I avoid
doing?
Often it’s not only what we focus on or do that
matters, it’s also what we avoid doing that makes all
the difference in the end.
Have a think about all the various distractions and
counterproductive tasks that could divert you from
what’s most important. Often these tasks/activities
are irrelevant and will end up hurting your
productivity. In fact, often they are nothing more
than poor excuses for indulging in procrastination .
Maintaining a Steady Focus
Having gained clarity about what it is you will be
working toward, it’s now time to get to work.
However, in order to stay consistent in your actions,
it’s critical that you maintain a steady focus. To
maintain a steady focus you need to address the
following three areas:
1. Focus on what’s most important, not what’s
fun, easy and/or convenient.
2. Focus on one thing at a time, not on trying to
multi-task.
3. Focus on the execution of an activity, not on
the desired outcome.
The overarching key here is of course simply to stay
focused on what needs to get done without
distraction. This is where your priorities must come
into the spotlight. You must focus in on the one
most important thing you need to do at this moment
that will help you in the long-run to accomplish your
goal. However, this rarely as easy as it seems. It’s
not easy because your brain will always be prone to
getting caught up in distractions. It will always want
to focus on what’s fun, easy and convenient.
However, what’s fun, easy and convenient is
probably not the most optimal use of your time.
It’s very likely that the activity you are trying to focus
on can become a little tedious and boring . In such
instances, it’s critical that you focus on the execution
of that activity. Focusing on the execution helps you
stay focused with little chance for distraction.
We will typically get distracted and sidetracked when
we look too far forward and tease our brains with
other thoughts or things that need to get done.
However, when you focus on the execution of an
activity you are unlikely to fall into this trap because
all your focus and attention is on what you’re doing
right now at the moment. This moment is all that
matters. Everything else just fades away into the
background.
This kind of focus is of course not easy. It requires
discipline on your part to maintain your focus over
the long-term. To assist you with this focused-
attention you may find it helpful to regularly ask
yourself:
How must I think to stay focused?
Reminding yourself of this question will help you to
stay focused on the execution of the task at hand.
Afterall, everything you do always begins with a
thought. Therefore if you are able to effectively direct
your thoughts in an optimal way this will help you to
stay focused on what needs to get done.
Now of course, at times you will naturally lose focus.
Staying focused for extended periods at a time is not
easy to do. At some stage you are bound to feel
uncomfortable, however, you must push through this
discomfort and stay the course until your objective
has been achieved.
Having said that, the key here to staying focused is
to work in bursts. Focusing on something for several
hours at a time without a mental and physical break
is extremely taxing on the brain. As such, it’s
important to introduce short breaks of only a few
minutes in between your focus-time. This will
effectively help you to recharge your batteries and
allow you to refocus on your work when you begin
again.
Staying Consistent Over the Long-haul
Taking everything we have discussed into account,
it’s clear that the key to success is of course
consistency-in-action. However, to truly accelerate
your results you need to also take massive action
consistently over an extended period of time.
Doing little things in a small way consistently over
time will make a huge difference over the long-haul.
However, if you want quicker results than massive
consistent action is what’s required. But of course,
taking massive action can be very taxing and
draining, and can often lead to burnout. As such it’s
important to take massive action in short bursts and
then resting and recharging.
This is of course not about perfect execution. Taking
consistent massive action over time isn’t about trying
to be perfect. It’s rather about continuously
practicing what you need to do to be successful. And
yes, practicing is the key. That’s essentially all you
are doing. You are consistently practicing your craft
over an extended period of time up until the point
you have either achieved your goal or mastered the
craft.
To practice, your craft essentially requires that you
build on the previous day’s work and look at ways
you can learn and improve your actions. Ask yourself
two simple questions:
What did I learn yesterday?
How can I improve things for today?
The Power of Reading 30 Minutes Per Day
Consider for a moment the act of reading a self-
development or business book for 30 minutes per
day. This might not seem like much, however reading
30 minutes per day over the course of a week totals
3.5 hours. An average sized book will therefore
probably take you roughly two weeks to read. Given
that there are 52 weeks in a year, you would,
therefore, end up reading roughly 25 books within
that calendar year. But let’s say that you skip a few
days and you only end up reading 20 books. Or let’s
say you go on holidays and only end up reading 15
books. That’s 15 books in one year! Five years down
the track you would have read 75 self-development
or business books!
Do you not think that reading 75 books over the
course of 5 years would change how you think about
your life, your career, your relationships or your
business? Do you not think that you would gather
unique insights and ideas from these books that
would help transform the course of your life? I bet it
would. In fact, I bet it would change your life in a
dramatic way. And to think that all you did was
commit yourself to reading 30 minutes per day.
Now, of course, 30 minutes seemed insignificant in
the beginning. In fact, you might have gotten very
little value over the first few weeks or months.
However, slowly but surely the seeds of new
thoughts and ideas were laid, and over time you
made more and more associations and connections
between what you were reading and what you already
knew about your life, business, career, relationships
and/or circumstances. This over time created a series
of “aha” moments where suddenly everything became
crystal clear. It was as though you suddenly woke up
and saw your life and circumstances in a brand new
light.
As a result, you ended up making a different set of
choices and decisions that led you down a very
unique path, and ultimately your life has been
transformed forever. And to think that it all started
with just 30 minutes of reading time per day.
This is the power of consistency-in-action over a
period of many months and years. Likewise, this is
the power of developing an empowering habit that is
likely to transform your life for the better. However,
indulging in this habit will not make much of a
difference today. Nor will it make much of a
difference next week or next month. Maybe you won’t
even see much of a difference over the course of
several months. However, over an extended period of
time (sometimes over many years), as you accelerate
your momentum, there will be a noticeable difference.
And then one day you will look back in awe on where
it all started in disbelief at the progress you have
made. That is the power of consistency-in-action.
The Consequences of Consistency-in-Action
Now of course, as mentioned earlier this power can
be used for good as well as for evil. Instead of
reading a book you could watch your favorite
television show for 30 minutes per day while snacking
on your favorite chocolate bar. This habit/routine, of
course, won’t make much of a difference today. Nor
will it make much of a difference tomorrow, next
week or next month. But over the course of a year,
or over the course of many years as your tummy
grows and your health and mobility deteriorate, you
may look back at your life and wonder
How in the world did I get this way?
this is just one of the many self-sabotaging
habits that people typically indulge in consistently
every single day. And because we just don’t see that
it makes a difference today or tomorrow, it effectively
just doesn’t matter because it simply doesn’t register
on our intellectual radar.
You see, the problem is that many people live with a
short-term view of their world. They rarely see past
the moment. They just can’t quite comprehend how
the actions they take today and the consistent
actions they take over time will impact them years
down the track. Or maybe they do understand, but
unfortunately just don’t have the necessary willpower
to hold themselves back. This is after all how
addictions are born, and habits are very much like
addictions. They are things that we just can’t help
but indulge in over an extended period of time. We
might, of course, feel as though we can quit at any
time and turn our lives around, but in reality, we are
only deluding ourselves.
Life is too precious to waste away in this way. Your
future rests purely in your hands. You and you alone
can decide within each moment what you will focus
on. You and you alone can choose an alternate
course of action. And you and you alone can make
up your mind to start making positive changes today.
And it all begins with something small and positive;
something you commit yourself to doing each and
every single day without fail for weeks, months and
years.
You, of course, won’t see much of a difference today,
nor will you see a difference tomorrow, next week or
even next month. But over the course of many years,
your consistency-in-action will build the foundations
of a far richer, happier and more fulfilling life.
The choice is, of course, yours to make. So what will
you choose to focus on today?
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