By Wonsuk Choi
Although the word consistency invokes positive feelings and makes a good impression, it is actually a double-edged sword. According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, the word consistent is defined as
“always behaving or happening in a similar, especially positive, way”.
We would like to think of it in a different way. One’s consistency or consistent behavior with regard to something or someone can either be good or bad. If we do something bad consistently, it will backfire in many ways. On the other hand, working consistently and/or practicing consistency for the right things can positively transform our lives in multiple ways in terms of relationships, individual growth, professional growth — virtually every aspect of our lives, and in everything we choose to do.
Each one of us is consistent at something both good and bad. Let’s take the bad stuff first. For example, we may be consistently lazy in the mornings, preventing ourselves from taking a nice long walk. You may even be laughing about it with friends and they must be poking fun at how lazy you are. But think of it this way, what does this consistent laziness do in the long haul? It makes you put on weight, affects your health, affects your self-esteem and confidence adversely; people don’t take you seriously as a result.
Now, let’s come to the good part. Let’s say you practice good listening and empathy consistently. What does that do for you? Firstly, it makes you a problem-solver, a critical and analytical thinker, a dependable friend, a bankable colleague, a trustworthy life partner, and more. So, look at ‘consistency’ from both angles and be the judge. These examples — both negative and positive — tell us a lot about consistency and being consistent. In a nutshell, consistency can pretty much make or break us! So how do we become consistent?
4 Tools To Achieve Consistency
How consistent one becomes is eventually up to them. We list out 4 tools that you can leverage to achieve consistency.
- Will power: You’ve heard it time and again: ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’. Look at it this way, if we simply have dreams but no will to realize them, then it’s better to not dream at all, to not have any ambition, to not hope. What would a life devoid of hopes and dreams be? So, strengthen your will to achieve your goals. Identify what tools you need to achieve them e.g. motivation, daily exercise, meditation, a good diet, reading, etc. Next, practice consistency in all these aspects.
- Self-discipline: We are not implying you become a samurai or ninja! But just do the best you can to practice discipline in your day-to-day lives. Self-discipline can include anything from making your bed, tidying up your room to offering prayers without checking your phone! Be consistent in self-discipline and self-discipline will be consistent.
- Focus segments: It’s hard to pay attention to something for too long; distractions are bound to take place and one can end up not getting anything done. The best way to deal with this is to divide your time into short segments and focus on them. The Pomodoro Technique is a great tool to help you manage time in a focused manner.
- Practice: ‘Practice makes a man (and woman) perfect’ — Sorry! But we just had to say it as if you haven’t heard this a million times before. In this context, practice is your ultimate weapon to achieve consistency. Consistent practice with the aforementioned tools will increase your chances of becoming consistent.
The 3 Major Benefits of Consistency
Consistency in terms of the right things can bring us numerous benefits. Read on to know about the three major benefits of being consistent:
- A sense of achievement and fulfillment: When we are consistent over a period of time, we train our minds and bodies to act in a certain way. Being consistent in qualities such as being happy, staying active, getting work done on time, learning, etc. will bring you growth and progress. These in turn will instill in you a sense of achievement and fulfillment. You will be happy with yourself and live the life you’ve always wanted.
- Read more https://medium.com/escalto/the-importance-of-being-consistent-tools-benefits-to-make-consistency-work-for-you-eebf0b490d79
