James Clear, a writer on habits and success, highlights consistency as a way to achieve goals: “Consistency before intensity. Start small and become the kind of person who shows up every day. Build a new identity. Then increase the intensity.” As the new year begins, many establish goals or habits. It’s important to remember to start small and develop a habit; then, once you’re consistent, the intensity will naturally evolve. Here are five areas to create consistency for success:
- Consistency in Vision: Successful people, leaders, and coaches create a consistent, sustainable vision for the long-term. The vision doesn’t change every day, week, month, or even year. The vision might slightly adjust to better fit the circumstances, but creating a consistent vision sets people up for long-term success. How well do you create a consistent vision for the future?
- Consistency in Mindset: Successful people, leaders, and coaches create a consistent, sustainable mindset that focuses on the long-term. Even through challenges or failure, successful people keep their mindset consistent with the vision they have. While a vision driven mindset, focused on small wins and positive self-talk, may waver some, it’s the most consistent in those who reach their goals. How well do you practice a consistent vision driven mindset?
- Consistency in Process: Successful people, leaders, and coaches create a consistent, sustainable process for the long-term. The process is specifically outlined with action steps in order to follow it easily and habitually. Although the process might adjust slightly during it, the more people consistently focus on their developed process, the more likely they are to succeed. How well do you consistently commit to your process?
- Consistency in Actions: Successful people, leaders, and coaches create consistent, sustainable actions for the long-term. There are actions they complete daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly that all align to help reach the larger vision. Staying consistent in those actions allows them to stack small wins and compound success. How well do you stay consistent in your actions?
- Consistency in Intensity: Successful people, leaders, and coaches create a consistent, sustainable intensity for the long-term. Achieving a larger vision or goal sometimes means going slow in order to go fast. Sprinting after a goal that might take three years to achieve only leads to exhaustion and burn out. The people who find success create consistent intensity that aligns with the challenge of the goal. How well does your intensity match the larger vision?
Achieving larger goals and a big vision is less about intensity and more about consistency. Those who are willing to overcome adversity, compound small wins, and stay committed long-term often find success in the end. The challenge for many people is that they become frustrated by lack of results or bored from the mundane process. If you can stay consistently in these five areas, it’s likely that you’ll eventually find success.
What areas need consistency in order to reach success?