Consistency means that every single day, without fail, you act in pursuit of your goal. You may miss a day, because, let’s face it, life happens, but consistency means that when you miss you are doubly motivated to get back at it the next day. You are defined by what you do. You are what you do. That’s the kind of consistency that I’m talking about.
Talent is great. Luck is nice. Trying is really important. Connections can help. But the only thing that truly leads you to success is consistency.
Is that kind of consistency normal? Do most people have that? Most of the people that you see who are the ‘top of their field’, whether they are athletes, actors, business people, are not the most talented at what they do. They may not have had the best luck (in fact, many of them have had some truly tough luck!). And most didn’t have any connections to help them get their ‘break’. There are better athletes, actors, and business people than those we see in the media. It’s 100% true. Because there is always unrealized talent. But, without consistent effort – putting in the time day in and day out in pursuit of your goal – all the talent in the world won’t enable you to succeed.
What you do when you are not on stage matters more than what you do when you are in front of the lights with everybody watching! The more you put in that consistent effort, the more you will succeed, and nothing can stop you. Not somebody’s opinion. Not other people’s beliefs. Not even the barriers or failures you encounter.
Consistency does not guarantee perfect results. You just have to look at the batting averages of hall-of-fame baseball players to realize that! But nothing can stop you if you put in consistent effort with 100% belief in what you are doing.
Put on your blinders. Because, I guarantee you, if you are truly focused only on the one thing you are trying to do, and you have that consistent effort, no matter what happens you’re not going to be judging yourself against others. You’re not even going to be seeing what other have or are doing. Not if you are fully invested in what you are doing. That is the kind of consistent effort that will always outperform any of the luck, any of the connections, any of the talent that you see outside of yourself. And the great thing is – you will never see those things outside of yourself if you are only focused on the task at hand!
So, what does that mean, to only focus on the task at hand? Does that mean you have an easy pass to success? You’re just going to sail on in and everything will be perfect? Does that mean you won’t have emotional ups and downs? That things won’t hit you and you’ll get disappointed, frustrated, angry, or self-doubt?
No, of course not.
You are going to have moments of struggle and doubt. Of course you are. Everybody has those moments. So, how can you bring yourself back to center when those moments arise so you can maintain your consistency? What are the tools you use to help you recognize what it was that pulled you off center and triggered the emotions you are feeling? How do you know what it is you want to feel? What tools do you use to move yourself quickly beyond what you are feeling, to refocusing on what you want to feel and so you can get back to what you are doing?
It may take 5, 10, even 30 minutes when you first begin to practice re-centering yourself. But eventually, you will be able to do it in the space of a breath. In the time it takes you to inhale, you will be able to assess the situation and the emotions you are feeling, and what it is that you want to feel, so that by the time you exhale you will be ready to take the necessary actions to get back to how you want to feel.
Emotional resilience isn’t a special skill. You don’t need a particular talent or fancy methods. It starts with being able to identify your emotions, and being willing to acknowledge them, think about what you want feel, and then take action. When you pursue these steps with consistency you will succeed. And consistently building your emotional resiliency will help you achieve the life you want.
What tools or methods do you use to help regain your center when something throws your emotions off course? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
