Among my clientele, one frustration I hear voiced again and again is, ‘I am not consistent’.  For many people – whether it is in reaching business goals, or in their own personal growth – a lack of consistency is the largest obstacle to overcome.

It is challenging in our modern climate to stay focused and not succumb to distractions.  We all know that there is more motivation and desire evident at the start of a project…and then it fades away, as new or more intriguing ideas come up in their place.

At that point, it is tempting to give ourselves high marks for our good intentions, but in reality, we would not score ourselves so highly if we asked ourselves, ‘How well did we complete that project?’

So we fail to move forward with our goals, because we evaluate our progress on the wrong things.

However, consistency is not an inborn trait.  It is a learnable skill. Thankfully, I have made great strides in becoming more consistent in taking action towards reaching my goals, and I would like to share what I have learned with you. We can reap great rewards if we take the time to learn and apply principles that will help us stay on track.

The first step is to admit that you are not as consistent or as focused as you would like to be.  Once you see ‘lack of focus’ as a legitimate barrier to success, you can take the following steps to conquer it.

  • Review how disciplined and focused you’ve been on your past few projects.
  • Ask yourself some questions:
    • What distractions did I experience during my work?
    • Why did these things distract me?
    • When am I most susceptible to distractions?
    • How can I keep them from happening again?
    • Who can I trust to keep me accountable, so that I stay consistent and focused?
    • Make a plan to avoid these distractions and share this plan with an accountability partner.

I am far from perfect at this process.  However, I can see that I have grown in certain areas of my life, not by having lots of great new ideas each day – but by simply being more intentional.

Jim Tressez said ‘The hallmark of excellence, the test of greatness, is consistency’.
Your future success depends upon the actions you take today and discipline will keep you on track.

You may ask, ‘How do I develop this discipline?’

The key to becoming a person who is consistent is personal growth.

John Maxwell, one of my mentors, has shown me how personal growth can help you become much more consistent in your life as you reach into your potential.

Before we focus on being a ‘MASTER’ at the job, we need to ‘MASTER’ ourselves.

To do this:

  • Identify areas you want to grow in.
  • Make a plan to daily incorporate small steps towards your goals.
  • Commit yourself to your plan and share it with your accountability partner/coach.
  • Create structure around your habits.
  • Find a system to help you measure the progress you are making.
  • Enjoy your daily journey.

As you begin to achieve your small daily goals, you will find they will change from ‘goals’ into ‘habits’.

These habits will become ingrained in you – and will then become a part of your DNA, and ultimately, you will become a focused, consistent person.

So what action will you take today?

Click here to see my blog on how action is linked with success.

I would love to hear from you about the action you will take.

As I conclude, consider how valuable that focus, habits, and consistency could be to your goals, and to the people around you.

And check back regularly if you need more motivation in this area.