Consistency... What's That?

As an accountability coach the first thing I ask people who come to me is “What do you need to be held accountable for?” Guess what majority of the answers are? Being consistent. The important thing to remember is that consistency is not synonymous with persistency. I think that’s where a lot of people get confused. For the purpose of this blog post the definition of consistent that I am using is: constantly adhering to the same principles, course, form, etc. (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/consistent)

For information purposes the definition of persist is: to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, especially in spite of opposition, remonstrance (to say or plead in protest, objection, or disapproval.) https://www.dictionary.com/browse/remonstrate etc. (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/persisting)

Now, while discipline is the combination of both persistence and consistency amongst other things today we are discussing consistency. To be honest, I haven’t always been the most consistent person either so trust me when I say I know the struggle. The breaking point for me was when God would give me something to do and because of my inconsistent behavior it wouldn’t get done and I would feel like I was failing God. Deep sigh. What do you do when you WANT to be consistent but you don’t have the discipline to see it through? I had to learn that consistence isn’t measured by quantity but instead it is measured by quality. Below are some quick tips on how I stay consistent:

1. STOP BEING LAZY - Yes! I said it! Some of us have the whole entire plan laid out but are being lazy when it comes to execution.

2. Celebrate small victories. Sometimes when we have a big goal we don’t celebrate small achievements along the way.

3. Have an accountability partner. It’s important to remember when choosing an accountability partner you want to chose someone that’s successful in the area you need accountability in.

4. Set reminders - in a world full of technology use the resources available to help remind you about things that will help you remain consistent.

5. Have a good documentation system. Whether it’s physical journaling, taking photos, electronic journaling, etc. keep track of the area you’re trying to remain consistent in.

6. Perform “reviews”. This is the time where you should afford yourself the opportunity to be honest with you. How are you really doing in the area you’re trying to be consistent in?

7. Remember it’s a marathon and not a sprint. There will be times where you simply miss the mark. And guess what? IT IS OKAY!

8. Don’t be so hard on yourself! I can not say it enough. You will mess up! But remember consistency is about staying true to who you are and what you do not how often you do it!

9. Know when to push yourself vs when to give yourself grace. Sometimes you are capable but don’t push yourself enough and sometimes you have too much on your plate and need to rearrange before you can commit to consistency.

10. Last, but not least - BE YOURSELF! Please don’t adapt to someone else’s personality because you struggle with being consistent. People are coming for you, and not you plus everybody else.

I hope these tips help you out and feel free to comment below how you remain consistent! Until next time 😘