Are you stopping just short of the finish line?
For some people the biggest problem when trying to improve their lives and working towards achieving success is that they never take much action at all. But the second biggest problem is that if they do take action, they aren’t consistent over a longer period of time. More specifically, most people aren’t consistently consistent.
While consistency is probably not the sexiest or most exciting thing in the world, it is the key to ultimately giving you the results you are looking for. Being consistent is extremely powerful. To achieve success, you’ve got to stick to the program and do it consistently and not just when you are motivated and inspired.
We’ve all experienced being consistent can be somewhat easy in certain areas of our lives and not so much in other areas. There are always ups and downs, but as long as you keep moving forward with some regularity, you’ll be consistent and get to where you want to go.
Here are our TOP 10 tips to become consistently consistent.
#1 Build Momentum One Step at a Time
Eliminating old habits and implementing a new one is not an easy task. Studies have shown that it takes anywhere from 21 to 40 days to create a habit that sticks and in that time, you really have to work diligently, even if you don’t feel like it. To be consistently consistent, you have to build momentum. As with everything else, the hardest part is always to get things started, but once you are moving, stay in motion and pick up speed. To make this process of building momentum and creating a new habit of being consistent easier, start slow and build up from there, have a support system in place and stick to a no-excuse policy.
#2 Expect Consistency from Yourself
On our way to being consistently consistent, we have to tell ourselves that we expect that we will actually stick to consistency. Sometimes we know already that we won’t stick to the plan and it can be hard to fight those negative internal messages we send ourselves, but it is essential that you set your expectations high and find positive affirmations that you repeat over and over again. Expect nothing but the best from yourself and you will be able to succeed.
#3 Make the Conscious Choice to Be Consistent
In order to achieve your goal of being consistently consistent, you have to make a conscious choice to be consistent and tell yourself over and over again that you can do this. Say out loud to yourself ‘I am committed to staying consistent to my goal every single day.’ It’s important to repeat this statement in the present tense, this way your subconscious mind is triggered to act in the now and not at some nebulous time in the future. Consistent action demands consistent thinking, more specifically consistent thoughts that you are and will stay consistent. To help you stick to that conscious choice of sticking to consistency, focus on how amazing you will feel when you achieve your goal.
#4 Plan Consistency
Have a thorough plan and make sure you write it all out on a piece of paper. For example if you want to start exercising regularly, create a workout plan. If you want to create better eating habits, plan out your meals for the week. If you want to complete an online course, schedule the times you will study and do the work. If we leave everything to last minute decisions, it’s very likely that we are going to fail, but if we have it planned out black on white, chances are that we will follow through.
#5 Create Accountability
Whatever it is that you want to be more consistent in, find someone who holds you accountable. For example if you want to exercise daily, text or call someone on your way to the gym. Better yet, find someone who you work out with so you both keep each other accountable. Make sure that your goals are attainable and measurable. If your goal is to lose 50 pounds, rather than focusing on something so big, tell yourself you are going to lose five pounds this month. It is achievable and a much easier first step that will create the momentum we talked about earlier. Last but not least, don’t be too hard on yourself if you slip up. It’s totally fine and is to be expected. Nobody is perfect, especially in the beginning. Don’t get discouraged or frustrated, but know that being consistent means that you are moving forward and you are still on the right track to achieve your goals.
#6 Maintain a Steady Focus
In order to stay consistently consistent in your actions, it is essential to maintain a steady focus. To maintain a steady focus, make sure you focus on one thing at a time and forget multi-tasking and focus on the activity at hand not the desired outcome. The key to maintaining a steady focus though is that you know what your priorities are and know what’s most important to you to accomplish your goal in the long run. It’s easy to get distracted and do what’s easiest or most fun, but the only thing you need to do and focus on in this present moment is to do what’s most important.
#7 Revise Your Concept of Time
The only time that is important is RIGHT NOW. Tomorrow, next week, next month, next year is only a concept in your mind. Later on, next week, month and especially a year from now is not here. Right now is here. Let go of the thought that you have to be consistent all month or all year. All you need to do is being consistent in this very moment. You only need to pay attention to right here, right now. The only thing you need to do is to be disciplined and consistent in this present moment, so be in the now.
#8 Remember that Emotions, Feelings and Thoughts are Subjective and Temporary
It is important to remember that any negative emotion, feeling or thought that could intrude on you being consistently consistent is subjective and temporary. Remember that while it can feel extremely powerful in the moment, know that tomorrow, you will feel completely different. Even 5 minutes from now, your emotions, feelings and thoughts will have changed. Don’t let those temporary illusions stress you out and derail you from your plan. Push through the insecurities and discomfort and follow Nike’s slogan: Just do it! Stay in action and remember that conquering the challenging moment will be so worth it.
#9 Be in the Present Moment
To be successful, stick to doing one thing at a time and be completely and 100% present in this moment. Allow your body and mind to be engaged and present in this one thing right hear, right now and when you find yourself distracted or catch your mind wandering off to other things, bring your full attention and focus back to what you are doing right now and allow nothing more and nothing less. It’s important to bring your attention back to the present moment and the constructive action at hand.
#10 Focus on the Process, Not the Results
The results will come if you consistently show up and do what needs to be done, so forget about the results and focus on the process. This will make it much easier to take action if that’s all you need to focus on right now. Forget ‘I need to reach this goal really soon’, instead focus on the process and you will be a lot more relaxed and it is much more likely that you will continue than if you focus on the results that never come fast enough. Remember, there is no instant gratification, so let go of obsessing about the result and enjoy the journey.
Consistency is essential to successfully transforming your life, but it’s also pretty clear that building and maintaining a consistent routine is not always an easy thing to do. You start off with the best of intentions and then life happens and before you know it, your perfect plan is in trouble. If you follow our tips to be consistently consistent you can change this pattern and it will be easier for you to be consistent even on the toughest of days.
CONSISTENCY IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAILURE AND SUCCESS
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked