Develop the Habit of Consistency to Achieve More Success

I love the concept of excellence as a habit rather than a specific act of greatness, because it means that we each have the ability to achieve distinction in whatever area of our life we choose to commit ourselves.

Oh, to be sure, there will always be notable exceptions in any field of endeavor, but if you really look into the background of most people who have achieved some measure of success you’ll find they developed their skills and abilities over time, learning and working each day to get better than the day before. It all adds up, and consistency is the key.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about effort, and when you implement that effort into your life – every single day – that’s when transformation happens. That’s how change occurs. Keep going. Never forget why you started. ~Author Unknown

Consistency is Growing One Step at a Time

To be fair, let’s acknowledge that the notion of “consistency” does have its detractors. Some insist that consistency kills innovation and others say that if what you’re doing day after day isn’t moving you in the right direction it’s a sure track to failure.

Valid points, except that consistency isn’t necessarily doing the same thing every day, it’s taking action to achieve your desired outcome day after day. For example, if your goal is to get fit then you want to consistently exercise, but you will also vary the type of exercise – aerobic one day, strength training the next, etc.

Let’s use an example for my fellow authors. It’s no secret that to achieve any level of success as an author you have to write a LOT, but when you’re working full time and have a family it’s easy for writing to get lost in the shuffle. So you commit to consistently write one hour every single day – some days you may write a paragraph, other days 5 pages. The point is you keep that commitment to consistently write one hour a day regardless of how much you end up with, and over time it will add up, not only by improving your writing skills but also in your productivity.

How Creating a Streak Can Help You Achieve More

I know I’m stating the obvious here, but it needs to be said that before you can hope to achieve consistency you have to take that first step. But for many the first step isn’t the problem, they repeatedly launch new goals (or resolutions) only to quit after a few days or weeks. So how does one muster the motivation to start and keep going?

You’re probably familiar with the term “winning streak” as it’s typically used referring to sports. I’d like to share with you one tactic that has worked like a champ for me, and I learned it a couple of years ago from an article featuring an interview with comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who has a reputation for being a prolific writer. In the article Seinfeld shared that he uses a calendar to create an uninterrupted chain that motivates him to continue writing daily to keep from breaking that winning streak.

To give this a try simply get a calendar that has a full year on one page and stick it up in a visually prominent location. Then you set a goal – let’s say your goal is to drink 8 glasses of water a day for your health. The first day you achieve that goal, you mark a big red X over the date on your calendar. You do it again the next day and the next, and apply your red X’s for each day you achieve your goal and after only a few days you’ve got yourself a winning streak going – and this is where it gets fun!

How long can you keep that streak going?

Don’t beat yourself up if you break a streak, use it to build momentum! Even if you consistently hit your goal just 5 days in a row, then you can start again and make it your goal to beat that record the next time. Keeping a streak alive, even for a short time, provides a power boost that helps to build confidence and commitment.

This method is effective whether you work with someone else or prefer to work on your goals alone because it provides you with a visible way to measure your progress and creates accountability. And if you are the creative type like I am you can easily get pretty artsy fartsy with your calendar! I have mine on the wall next to my desk and it’s decorated with inspirational quotations and images I use to acknowledge and reward myself for hitting new levels of achievement.

Success is not a problem of knowledge, but of consistency. People try something for 3 days, don’t see success, and quit. You have to be consistent over a prolonged period of time to achieve success. The achievers are the ones who continue doing what they are supposed to do over the long haul, while the rest give up. ~Victor Dedaj

Whatever method you use to create consistency in achieving your desired outcome, focusing on taking action each day will create small improvements that you may not even notice at first, but will accumulate over time.

Just try to imagine for a moment … if you begin now to take consistent action every single day toward achieving your most heartfelt dream what a profound impact that would have on your life say in a year, 5 years or 10 years!

Let today be the day you give up who you’ve been for who you can become.

About Marquita Herald

Marquita is an author, resilience coach and the chief evangelist at Emotionally Resilient Living. She’s also an unapologetic workaholic who loves red wine, rock n’ roll, road trips (and car dancing!), peanut butter cookies and (especially) a dog named Lucy.

She’s saddened and frustrated by excuses and cruelty and believes authentic compassion is the most powerful force in the world.

To learn more about Marquita and the mission of Emotionally Resilient Living  click “here“.

Tags: Accountablity, Consistency, Habit, Self Awareness, Success