Some people are naturally consistent. They have a routine that they follow without fail, and they don’t miss any steps. They go to the gym every day at 6 AM after their morning coffee and then eat a healthy breakfast before heading to work—and you can set your watch by them because they never deviate from this schedule. Their consistency is unmatched.

You know who these people are: the ones who always look great, never gain weight or let their hair go grey, and seem to have it all together on the outside (even if things aren’t perfect under the surface).

But what about those of us who aren’t naturally consistent? Is there anything we can do to become more consistent in our lives?

I believe there is. As long as we stop focusing on results and instead on consistency itself—what matters most is not what happens when you succeed but how consistently you show up for your work, self, and family each day, even when it feels difficult, tedious, or scary.

Consistency is the secret sauce to success

Consistency will help you achieve your goals, overcome challenges, and achieve long-term results.

It’s important because it ensures you maintain momentum over time and hit your targets, even if some things go differently than planned.

When something unexpected happens or a setback occurs (and we all know they will), consistency helps you recover by keeping your eye on the prize and focusing on getting back on track as quickly as possible.

Perfectionists strive for perfection in their work but rarely achieve it because they often get caught up in minutiae instead of seeing the big picture or completing work quickly enough to prevent any setbacks from occurring in the first place (and thus having no time left for perfecting).

By focusing on being consistent instead of being perfect and giving yourself permission to make mistakes, you’ll avoid falling into this trap!

Focus on consistency rather than results

Focus on the process rather than the outcome. If you focus on the results, you will likely make decisions based on how you think things will turn out. If you focus on the process, however, you will be able to maintain consistency even when things go differently than planned.

Focus on consistency rather than results. The best way to see consistent improvement is by continually improving your process and mindset until they become second nature when practicing any skill or habit.

Once this happens, it becomes much easier and less stressful to follow through because there’s no longer an internal debate in your mind as to whether or not it’s worth doing something. It’s part of how things get done because no part of the process requires effort or conscious thought anymore!

Be consistent even when it’s uncomfortable.

It’s okay to be uncomfortable. Feeling awkward, out of place, or even silly is also okay. Sometimes you will inevitably be uncomfortable, and occasionally it will even feel like the whole world is against you.

It can be challenging to persevere in these situations, especially if you’re used to being comfortable most of the time.

But I promise this: if you can learn how to stay consistent in your beliefs and actions when it’s difficult for you personally—and not just because someone else says so—you’ll be able to build impressive self-discipline over time.

Expect your work to be flawed 

Consistency should show up in your work, in your practice, and in your hobbies. If you want to excel at anything—be it writing, public speaking, or golf—you need to put consistent effort into it.

You can’t expect yourself to produce the same quality of work if you do it once every few months or years. You will learn more by doing than by thinking and planning alone; that’s why we have teachers who teach us how-tos instead of just telling us what-fors and when-comes.

The goal is to get better, not perfect.

Perfectionism is a trap. The goal should be to improve, not to be perfect. 

You will never reach perfection; if you try to do so, you’re setting yourself up for failure. So instead of focusing on the end result, focus on the process and how far you’ve come in your journey toward achieving your goals. Making mistakes is okay because it allows us to learn from them!

You can be flawed and consistent

The Consistency Mindset is about taking small steps in the right direction, one day at a time.

Start with something small—like getting yourself to do one thing every day for 30 days, or even just 15 minutes.

Suppose you’re trying to build a habit that will help you stick with your goal. In that case, it should be easy to find something accessible and actionable that gives you immediate success.

Start small by focusing on the following:

• Your daily habits
• The next step toward your goal

Don’t beat yourself up for being inconsistent

You cannot be perfect every day. It’s just not possible.

Do it when you wake up and feel like you want to do something. Then, if you don’t feel like doing what that is at some point in the day, don’t beat yourself up for missing a day (or week or month) and get back on track as soon as possible.

There are times when you will feel like doing nothing. You might be tired, uninspired, or just plain lazy. That’s okay!

Sometimes we all need to take a break and recharge our batteries. The important thing is that you don’t let those feelings become an excuse to give up on consistency altogether.

Even if you haven’t been consistent for a while, the key is not giving up but rather getting back into a consistent routine as soon as possible.

Consistency doesn’t have to be perfect to be productive

By focusing on consistency rather than results, you’ll find that you will get better at your work as long as you keep practicing (and not waiting for perfection).

Let me explain: Consistency allows us to build our confidence over time while being more productive than expecting everything out of the gate. Let’s focus on improving our skills instead of worrying about whether or not someone will like it or share it.

In that case, we won’t feel stressed out trying desperately for perfection—we’ll do whatever needs to be done without caring about where it leads because we know something good will come out of all this hard work eventually!

We aren’t saying that you have to be perfect. You should strive for consistency. You’ll get better over time if you show up and keep working. 

You don’t need to obsess over results or expect perfection from yourself or others. Just show up. Be consistent even when it’s uncomfortable.

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OVERWHELM TO OVERFLOW

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