The importance of being consistent
Throughout my experience, being consistent often comes up as a key to doing well, and being successful in your roles and responsibilities. Think of your favourite sports person or team, or your favourite restaurant or cafe, or maybe someone you really enjoy working with. What makes you admire them? Apart from being good at what they do, chances are what helps you connect with them and trust them more is their ability to consistently deliver on their promises as well as your expectations.
What does being consistent mean? In my opinion, being consistent is replicating your thoughts, intent and efforts, to work towards the results you want, in any area of your life. This could be in your professional as well as personal life, and is applicable to any of your roles and responsibilities.
As the saying goes- it’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, it’s what we do consistently. This article has been created with the intent to encourage you to reflect on the areas of your life where you are consistent, or not, and how could things be different and better.
Reason 1- You become highly reliable
I believe that consistency is one of the most attractive qualities of a human being. We all love stability, in the sense that when we expect someone to deliver, and they consistently do so, it creates greater trust and belief in them. When you are consistent, you hold yourself accountable to a standard, and you do your best to live up to it, even exceeding it. Be it as a person, a team, or as an organisation or community. The more consistency you show in your tasks and results, the more trust and belief you build for people around you. I have worked with several people, who have been consistent performers. They put in a great amount of focus and effort in what they are supposed to do. Doing something well encourages them, but what drives them forward is to be able to do it over and over again.
There is a saying that we are what we do repeatedly. We become synonymous with the things are we consistent with. The areas of life that where you are consistent, reinforce your identity in those areas and shapes people’s perception and belief towards you. Above all, consistency builds trust and people know that you can relied upon in those areas.
Reason 2- You build habits and rituals
When you are consistent, there is a lot of focus on repetition. So you can replicate your efforts and your results, over and over again. That element of repetition allows you to build habits and rituals, that not only help you achieve more in your day to day life, but also helps you deal better with stress. I keep sharing this about any ritual that you follow, it’s like making a deposit into an emotional bank account. When you have deal with stressful situations, it’s like withdrawing from that emotional account. So as you keep following those rituals, you make more deposits that makes your emotional account abundant, and keeps you well equipped to deal with any kind of stress.
Your habits and rituals build your confidence, strengths and expertise over time. When you begin something, it may not seem like much. However, as you keep going on, and show your commitment, you get better. As we went through earlier, consistency enables you to hold yourself accountable to a standard. Your habits and rituals help you deliver that standard.
Reason 3- You lead by example
You may have come across this quote- “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. There is often a focus on people consistently delivering their best and staying productive. My view is If you are consistent in what you do, you inspire others to lift their game. This is where you lead by example. I believe leadership is an opportunity to make a difference around you. When you lead by example, you show others what’s possible. They start believing that they too can achieve some amazing things. And it starts off by being consistent in what you do.
I recently spoke to a friend of mine. Before the pandemic hit, she wasn’t much into fitness. However, since the pandemic started, she focused on getting fitter through daily activities like walking etc. Through her efforts, she became fitter and lost weight. She has now formed a virtual walking group with some of her friends. Through that, she is not only inspiring them, but also taking them along in her journey. While she is indeed inspirational, I believe what enables her to inspire others is to her consistency. To show up, put in the efforts and work towards her results, then repeat the cycle. I think it’s a great example that highlights consistency as the key to leading by example and inspiring others.
To summarise
I often share this quote- “Persistence gives you what you what; consistency allows you to keep it”. What gives our achievements and results greater meaning is when we are able to not just achieve them, but replicate them over and over again. Here’s something to reflect on- What does being consistent mean for you? What are the areas in which you demonstrate consistency, be it your professional or personal life? And what does that give you?