How to be Consistent

We have all had the sense that if we could build some consistency, if we could implement a new behaviour much more consistently, we would be more more successful. We could generate more success and abundance for ourselves and our families. But we have all experienced trying to do something new on a consistent basis and not being able to make it stick. We have all felt like we let ourselves down. So how do you do it?

Focusing on consistency as a goal in and of itself is a flawed strategy. You are doomed to failure if you just rely on your will to deliver consistency in your endeavours. Life is more complex than that and will all too readily get in your way if you let it. It will derail your attempts and cause despondency and regret. And there seems like there is nothing you can do. So, is it you? Are you just not capable of consistency? 

Instead of striving for that consistency (and beating ourselves up when we can’t make it happen) we should think of consistency as something that emerges from other behaviours. Here’s my system for how you can achieve that.

First create the space to be consistent in. Your life is already full. It is not like you are overwhelmed with free time is it? Committing to something new, or doing more of something you are already kind of doing, just won’t work unless you have a clear plan of when you want to do that thing. And what you’re going to do with the activity that was filling that space before. You need to shuffle things around and have a plan for the cascade of consequences that come your way as a result.

Communicate with your loved ones. No one is an island. Even Hugh Grant in “About a Boy” had to finally admit that he wasn’t Ibiza. Our lives are intertwined with others and inextricably linked to those of the people around us. Our choices effect and are effected by our nearest and dearest. Implementing a new behaviour means getting the buy in of those around us. If we don’t, they will potentially not understand what we are trying to achieve. They will continue with their own agenda, their own behaviours that fitted just fine with us yesterday. You will silently resent this, they will have no idea why you’re being so frosty, your relationships and your desired consistency will suffer. Communication is key.

Be resilient. You are going to take some knocks along the way. Don’t focus too much on what those knocks might be- this can lead to procrastination. If you spend too long imagining all the things that could go wrong, your brain will talk you out of even trying. Instead focus on your goal, where you’re trying to reach through your consistency. By focusing on the flag fluttering on the horizon, we may stumble on the path, but we will not deflected from that path.

Consistency needs Contingency. We know we’re going to stumble, the knocks are going to come. That fore knowledge allows us to make a plan for when that happens and how we get back on track. How are you going to dust yourself off and keep going? How are you going to rebuild your momentum? When we lose momentum it can feel like the end of the world, but if we acknowledge that this going to happen and know how we will rebuild our momentum when it does, our consistency will be hard to break. Have that plan ready to be deployed and nothing is gonna stop you!

Watch the video to learn more...

You can access the full transcript of the video for free here:

Access the Podcast episode on iTunes or wherever you consume your audio