Trying to be More Consistent? Three things to Remember

I’ve always been a fairly regimented person, which lends itself well to being a consistent person. Although I’m not consistent with everything, if I put my mind to something more often than not I’ll stick with it for the duration of the goal (and longer). Maxie’s here to share some great things to keep in mind in your own quest for consistency.

Trying to Be More Consistent? Three Things to Remember

Guest post by Maxie McCoy

Some people find the ability to be consistent so simple. It’s how they’re wired. To do something, and then to do it regularly and repeatedly without fail. There’s no major gap between what they do do, and what they don’t do. Because they’re consistent – with routines, with moods, with habits, with work ethic, and with goals. 

But if you’re like me, consistency can feel like the great mountain to climb. And it’s a worthy mountain because consistency is often what separates people who bring ideas and goals to life…and those who don’t. They keep showing up, no matter what, without fail. Look at this community of Carly’s for example, she’s always SO consistently sharing with us, and we can count on her. She’s always been so inspiring to me for that reason (and many, many other reasons). 

Consistency is worth the pursuit. But if it’s a struggle for you, like it is in some areas of life for me, consider these reminders. They’ll help you keep showing up for what matters most to you, so that over time you’re getting the desired outcome that consistency can provide:

Be realistic and have a backup plan for when you fail – if you want to do anything routinely, for a long period of time, you have to be real with yourself that you probably WILL fail at it. You might miss a day, or a week of whatever it is. What’s important is that you don’t live in the “all or nothing” mentality, but rather decide what you can do (ahead of time) to feel like you’re still showing up for your intentions when you get off track. For example, I’ve been writing weekly blogs that go out in a newsletter for 6+ years. Some weeks, especially when I’m in the midst of writing a manuscript, I don’t get a new blog written. This probably happens 5-8 times a year. My backup plan for when that happens is to recycle an old favorite post, which I pop into my newsletter instead. That way, I’m still showing up for my community, but I’m being compassionate with myself. Regardless of what you’re committing to be consistent about, have a Plan B for the moments you fail, so you can keep on keeping on.  

Aim for discipline – It could be argued that discipline is more important than consistency. It could also be argued that consistency is discipline. Regardless, what you’re looking for is controlled and habitual. Think about habits, they’re things you do routinely. With every habit, there’s probably a day you don’t, or a day you do every once in a while. It doesn’t mean the whole habit is broken just because you don’t make your bed one day. You want to be in that mindset, which is consistently showing up for the things that matter to you and disciplined in doing that…however it shows up. 

Consistent doesn’t mean forever – If you do the same thing over and over and over again for an eternity, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee you success. You can be consistent, and you can still be willing to change. Sometimes we’re consistent for chapters, and then we close those chapters. That’s totally fine, and it doesn’t mean that you’ve failed. It just means that you’re moving to freshen whatever it is that you’re doing to find new levels of growth. For example, maybe you’ve consistently been running but then realize you want to build up more muscle instead, so you redirect your focus to consistently weight training. You can be consistent and still change. And in fact, change is required in order to stay fresh in whatever it is that you’re doing and find new levels of success. 

Whether you’re always consistent, or never consistent, taking a deeper look into what this means and how to go about it for you will help you achieve more of what matters in your life.

For more inspiration from Maxie, pick up her book You’re Not Lost: An Inspired Action Plan for Finding Your Own Way.