I rebelled it. I questioned it. I avoided it. I loathed the prospect of it. I thought it makes life boring. But only lately I have been realizing the value of it.
I thought passion was important, inspiration was important, the key moment was important. But I never thought over and above all this, consistency was of paramount importance. Had I consistently pursued anything in life – just about anything – while doing all the other things, I would’ve certainly gained mastery over it.
Let me explain this further.
There are some friends who never forget to call on your birthday. There are some who do at times. Whose call would you be expecting or waiting for on your birthday? The one who always calls or the one who rarely calls?
Think about baking a cake. If you got all the ingredients right, it is important to get the consistency right. If the consistency goes wrong, even the best of ingredients won’t help you create the best of cake.
Think about relationships – If you appreciate someone once and expect them to understand all your criticisms always, it won’t work. If you declare your love at the beginning of the century and expect it to work until the end of time, it perhaps won’t. It is important to appreciate consistently. Not constantly.
If you want to inculcate some good habits in your children, you have to be consistent on your words and efforts. Else, they might be confused and not know what to follow.
Most people who lose weight, don’t tend to sustain it in the long run. They tend to gain it back because they do something for sometime and it shows results and then they get erratic in their habits or find it difficult to be consistent in their efforts.
If you want mastery over a skill, only passion won’t do – consistently being disciplined about practice is what will help.
Even if you look at people who have been successful – they are not one-time wonders. Most one-time wonders are forgotten sooner than later. But those who have been consistent make their presence felt in a way that their absence will also be felt when they aren’t around. Be it writing, dancing, music, anything that you wish to pursue in life – you get a certain sense of confidence, exposure and expertise when you are consistent in your practice.
If you have consistently lived up to your word, you’ll be known as reliable.
If you consistently deliver outstanding results, you’ll be known as a Master.
If you are consistently able to maintain your state and handle tough situations, you’ll be known for your stability.
If you are consistently understanding and kind, you’ll be known as a compassionate human being.
Instead, if we speak one kind sentence for every 10, or one good deed followed by 10 bad words, we are making it tough for anyone to understand or empathize with us. If you have been by and large kind, the one-off day is easily understood. But not the other way around.
The reason why most of us fail to make a mark for ourselves is that we change with the changing weather. We are inconsistent in our efforts, words, and actions. And inconsistent efforts, of course, will get us inconsistent results and a wavering reputation.
When we speak of brand image or personal brand – it is built by what you consistently demonstrate! Ask 5 people around you – what words would they use to describe you. That could be what they may have seen you demonstrate more often than not. If you like what you hear, great. If you think you can make it better, see what is it that you need to tweak. As much as variety, spontaneity, and flexibility is important, on certain aspects, consistency plays a huge role. Ask yourself, to go from where you are to where you wish to be, what is that one thing you would want to be consistent about.
You can go wrong once, twice, thrice. But it is impossible to go wrong when you do something consistently over time!