Webster describes consistency of conduct as, “the conformity in the application of something. It is the harmony of conduct.” Pondering the principle of consistency seems to point us clearly to the way of success. If you achieved a perfect harmony of conduct, you would bring things together in the same way, over and over again in a lifetime. Perfect consistency is a noble pursuit.
One of the most prevalent reason, I see for constant failure is that people give up far too easily. It is not so much because people are doing the wrong things, or are doing something inconsistently, but because human beings are perpetually impatient. When we fail to see the expected results as quickly as we anticipated, we tend to stop trying and break the rhythm.
The consequence of quitting is the loss of momentum. The endeavor is doomed and it takes an enormous capacity to dig deep enough to start all over again. To reinitiate, we have to find the energy and the motivation to overcome our stagnancy and fear of failure, tackling the problem from scratch once again
Consistency and Weight Loss
This is surely most evident on the roller coaster ride of healthy eating. It seems as though we start off a new diet with gusto, determined to succeed in our latest attempt at transformation. By Day 10, when the scale has not moved as much as we hoped, or not even in the right direction at all, we give up.
The principles of mastering weight loss do not change. The only way to succeed on a diet is to maintain the consistency of healthy eating over an extended period of time. Successful people excel at this consistency of conduct. They never give up. They do not leave the track before they have arrived at the final destination.
Consistency is Key to Success
To achieve success in any endeavor, the same principles apply. Success requires unyielding consistency, which stems from a strength of character and an iron will to finish the race. The only way to break through the barrier and escape the plateau is to practice this kind of consistency.
John Maxwell tells an inspiring story about a man with a tree. A man had an impressively gigantic tree in his backyard and his greatest wish was to cut it down. The size and strength of the tree was a huge obstacle, having prevented him from starting the task for many years. Finally, he decided it was time for a change.
Start Small
He started small, going to the backyard each day. He delivered three or four strokes to the base of the giant tree and then stopped. Even when the task seemed impossible and he saw the minuscule size of the axe, he kept at it. Every day he went out and delivered the strokes, sharpening his axe and cementing his commitment. It was all he needed to do.
Rain or shine, he went out to the tree, not knowing how long it would take to achieve the goal. He realized that all it would take was to keep going out, for as long as it required to fell the tree. Eventually, the tree was going to come down; and it did.Success requires consistency. Truly successful people start out as the man with a giant tree in the backyard. Never stop swinging the axe.
Consistency is key for success. It is required to reach any goal. Truly successful people start out as the man with a giant tree in the backyard. Never stop swinging the ax.
