Why Being Consistent Is So Important

 

I’m sure you know that consistent action is the key to reaching any goal, right? But if you’ve never practiced consistency, your inner critic (I call mine Grizelda) will not take seriously your attempt to change course and start following through. It will go so far as to mock you and laugh at the idea.

Imagine that little voice saying: “Who are you to think you can do that? You’ve never been consistent in your life! Ha! I dare you.”

Perhaps your inner critic is kinder, but that’s what mine sounds like.

In any event, that voice needs to be shut down because…

If you’re going to create significant and lasting change, the ability to act with consistency is absolutely essential.

If you’ve never been able to to be consistent don’t despair. It took years before I could master it (mostly because I had always listened to Grizelda!). But when I finally did, it became part of who I was. It became part of my identity. I’m able to say ‘I am consistent in my actions’ and know it’s true.

And that is powerful stuff. When you know you have the capability to act with consistency, you can do anything. You can create new habits and keep them. You can set goals and achieve them. Once you trust yourself to follow through, you will actually follow through! Your inner critic will effectively be silenced (at least on this issue, mine’s a chatterbox about other stuff still).

The good news, you don’t have to start with anything big. A super small consistent action is all that is needed. So if you’re struggling in this area, what is one super small action you could start taking on a daily basis?

Tips: Make it something you really want to do, not something someone else thinks you should. Make it really easy. Make it a single action. Piggyback it off something else you already do.

I’ll share what tipped the consistency scale for me. I started washing my face before bed. It was something I knew I should do and I really wanted to, but for a long time I would make excuses. Usually I was too tired and would say I’ll start tomorrow instead. But I finally powered through the exhaustion and washed my face, what a win! I felt great. And I kept at it.

Initially I had ups and downs, but it’s been part of my regular routine now for many years. I know this must sound silly as all get out. But doing something even though I didn’t feel like it at the moment built my confidence and I proved to myself that I could be consistent. That one small action, followed through on time and time again, was a game changer.

What about you? How did you learn to be consistent? Have you mastered it? Is your mastery situationally dependent? Or is it something you’re still working on?

Want more little tips like this? Join the Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy community. We’re a supportive group of like-minded souls. We focus on clearing the clutter from our lives, getting real things done, working toward our goals and creating happy, fulfilling lives – you can find us here. We’d love to welcome you!

Save

Save

Save

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

If you liked this.....

please consider sharing with friends! Your support means a lot to me. Thanks!