Consistency Will Influence Your Future

Consistency with great habits is like compounding interest; your future self will thank you for it!

When I was a little girl, I knew my father would be in his vegetable garden early every morning for at least an hour while most of us kids were still in bed. On Sundays, he would be up at dawn to go deep-sea fishing. He worked full-time in banking, so these early starts were the only way he could do what he loved most: to provide for his family. Dad and Mum did not spend money on anything they could make, grow, catch, create, or do without and with a large family to provide for, this was how we ended up having a happy childhood, where we did not have a lot, but we never wanted for anything. Dad told me later in life that he wanted to be a farmer; however, he had six children to provide for when he realised this. So, producing food and providing was his way of pursuing his dream and bringing purpose to his life. Dad was up early, starting his days in his vegetable garden until he was in his eighties, and only ill health slowed him down. I often think about this consistent way of showing up and its profound impact on all our lives, and I know I am my father’s daughter in many ways!

Consistency with what is important to us is a powerful way to build trust in yourself with strong habits to pursue your purpose, dreams, and success. The key is consistency. Progress is made by being able and willing to show up every day and do things, take action, and pursue activities that will enable you to achieve your goals and aspirations. Scientific evidence shows that we can even improve our sleep by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Yes, every day! Even on those days you think are for sleeping in, waking up and being active is how you build consistency and trust in yourself and better sleep! So, if it works for something as fundamental as sleep, it makes sense that it also works for other areas of our lives.

People often talk about persistence as though it is the simple, dogged determination that will help you achieve the results you want. Well, persistence will get you what you want. However, consistency will ensure you keep what you get. Consistency is how we create the momentum, the motivation, and the habits to keep showing up for ourselves and achieve what we dream of, which for most of us is a better or different future life. Making decisions today that your future self will thank you for is a great place to start. Consistency can be your superpower, and it also feels good to have good routines that support you and bring more certainty to your life goals. Dwayne Johnson, the successful actor and businessman, says, "Success isn’t always about greatness. It's consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come."

There is even a 'Law of Consistency'. In John Maxwell’s book, The 15 Laws of Invaluable Growth, he highlights that consistency must be one of the main ingredients to make significant change. He concluded, "Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing." If you are the type of person who is reading this, then you will know that lifelong learning is a real thing. There is no age limit when we can keep learning and growing to achieve our desired breakthroughs. We do not need to settle for anything less than what we are capable of, and the exciting thing is that we don't often know what we are capable of until we decide to go after something more than what we have been. It takes courage, commitment, and consistency to achieve what it is in life that you wish to achieve. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, defines a breakthrough as a series of good, well-executed decisions that accumulate over time, and it takes patience and consistency to do this. We all have a choice; we can allow life to squeeze us or choose to squeeze life. Consistency and making good decisions with habits , routines, and processes are how you can create your desired future.

Here are a few steps based on John Maxwell's Law of Consistency that may support you:

Know what you need to improve.

Identify your areas for growth. Use the 'Wheel of Life' to rate your level of satisfaction in each of the areas. You can change any of the categories and can also substitute with business categories if you wish. Identify the areas of personal or professional growth that you want to achieve.

Know why you want to improve.

Knowing your WHY is important. When you know your why, the how will look after itself; watch Simon Sinek on YouTube if you need more convincing. Having a big why fuels your purpose, passion, and motivation, inspiring you to act. Celebrate wins, even the small ones, as these wins compound over time just like consistency and will guide you towards your desired future.

Learn how to improve.

Read or listen to books, sign up for a program, or get a mentor or coach to help guide you in the direction you want to go. A good coach or mentor will bring out the best in you that you may not even realise is there. Everything you need is within you now; you may have to dig deep and find it.

Know when to improve.

A famous Chinese Proverb says, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now." Learn from this because if you have not already started on the journey towards the best version of you, the time to start is right now.

Assess your environment.

In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear highlights that one of the keys to changing habits is to make it obvious. Are you hanging out with the right people? Are you in the right room? If you are the head of the class, it's time to change class, or if you are the smartest person in the room, it is time to find a different room. Always aim to put yourself in situations where at least some people are smarter than you, even if it intimidates you. This is how we will learn.

We all have choices, and every choice has a consequence. We do not need to settle for less than what we are capable of. Consistency in making good decisions around habits, goal setting and planning how to achieve the future you want is necessary, and there is no time or age limit on when you can start this. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the second-best time is now.

 If you want support to develop or improve your consistency and habits to achieve your goals, click here  to book a Complimentary Strategy Session  with a lead coach at Leaders Network.