When I was a kid, I used to think that success came easy to those who worked hard. As I’ve gotten older and become an entrepreneur myself, I’ve learned that success does not magically appear. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into becoming a success. Hard work is not a bad thing at all. After all, anything worth doing usually has hard work involved in the process.
However, hard work alone does not make one a success. Are you ready for what the real secret to success is? The key word is consistency. Consistency is not an exciting word. Consistency alone does not get us motivated and jumping for joy. Nonetheless, it is a key ingredient in achieving success.
So, how does one become consistent? As a business owner, I’m just trying to keep the business in the black. Oftentimes, we business owners are working long hours to make it happen. We keep doing the same thing every day without any thought as to how this same activity Is helping us to grow our business. We are oftentimes so far in the weeds that we cannot truly see where we are off track.
What can we do to become more consistent in achieving success? First, we need to take time to grow ourselves. So, how do we grow ourselves? That’s a little harder question, isn’t it? John Maxwell says we should take time to consider these four questions:
- Do you know what you need to improve?
- Do you know how you are supposed to improve?
- Do you know why you want to keep improving?
- Do you know when you are supposed to improve?
“Your future is dependent upon your personal growth. Improving yourself daily guarantees you a future filled with possibilities. When you expand yourself, you expand your horizons, your options, your opportunities, your potential.” (John C Maxwell)
Start with setting goals that are necessary but also achievable. Get really good at doing the basics, then do them every day. Those small basic steps repeated every day eventually lead to great achievements. That’s what consistency is truly about.
It doesn’t mean the journey is easy. In fact, it is usually difficult before it becomes easy. One may feel uncomfortable in the process. The truth is that we achieve our daily goals by doing those things that are uncomfortable.
“These daily uncomfortable things become habits. Habits turn into actions and then into attitudes and then lead into lifestyles.” (Charlene Armitage)
Consistency is not easy. To be honest, just achieving goals alone won’t make you successful. It’s about growing yourself. That includes believing in yourself and the potential that is in you. I encourage you to consistently put in the work and keep believing in yourself.
Excerpt from The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John C Maxwell.