Tag Archives: consistency

“In the long term, you can’t get better results than your consistency.”

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“In the long term, you can’t get better results than your consistency.”

—Shane Parrish, author of Clear Thinking

Image from Unsplash by Jacob Rice

During the summer Olympics I joyfully watched with amazement the levels of excellence everywhere.

Two athletes that stood out for me were Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky.

One of the highlights for me was watching Katie swim the 1,500 meters, which she won by 10 seconds over the silver medalist. Katie now owns the twenty fastest times ever recorded and has swum over 23,000 miles in her lifetime, which is almost the circumference of the earth!

EXERCISE:

Where in your life have you been the most consistent in your efforts?

How has your dedication and stick-to-it-ness served you well and supported your success over the years?

Where might some added consistency serve you best in the days and years ahead?

Talent and potential mean nothing if you can’t

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“Talent and potential mean nothing if you can’t consistently do things when you don’t feel like doing them.”

—Shane Parish, Athens, Georgia based guitarist

Image from Unsplash by Rachel Sanner

Consistency is a superpower.

Putting in your steps when the weather is mild and sunny is easy. Doing so when the skies are grey and there is a chilly wind in your face is another story.

What percent of your talent and potential have you realized?

How does it correlate with your attitude and willingness to push through the challenging “I don’t want to’s” in your life?

What habits have you developed that channel the discipline to push through the resistance that often blocks your way?

EXERCISE:

Consider reading and applying the many nuggets of wisdom from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits. Over 120,000 5- and 4-star reviews are on to something!

Don’t aim for consistently heroic efforts

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“Don’t aim for consistently heroic efforts. Aim for being heroic at consistency.”

—Brad Stulberg, Performance Coach

Image of a boy shooting an arrow

Image from Unsplash by Niklas Tidbury

We all get excited when we observe heroic acts in the world. These efforts almost always require extraordinary levels of physical, mental, and emotional effort. Unfortunately, as Brad points out, we all know that these efforts are not sustainable.

Although not as sexy, consistency provides a compounding effect that is both sustainable and sticky. These habitual actions often result in excellence in virtually any life domain you choose.

EXERCISE:

Select a single area of your life where you will make the heroic effort to be more consistent. Feel free to reply to this post and share the area you selected.

Walk Your Talk

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“You cannot talk your way out of something you behaved yourself into.”

—Stephen Covey, American self-help author

Image from nxtlvlc.com

Image from nxtlvlc.com

Actions speak louder than words. They are all we really have to turn our dreams of a better future into a reality.

Consider a business leader whose behavior is inconsistent with the core values and corporate vision he claims to follow.  Consider the individual who constantly brings up his interest in health and wellness, yet makes unhealthy choices and rarely engages in physical activity.

EXERCISE:

Where in your life can you bring greater alignment between your words and your actions?
To whom, beside yourself, will you make the promises? What added support will be required to ensure this new level of personal responsibility?