How to be More Consistent

It can be a real challenge maintaining the motivation needed to do the things we set out to do and be consistent over a long period of time. Let’s be real, you’re not going to super passionate and ready to go all the time, so what can you do to feel passion when you are not feeling passionate anymore?

How can you stay consistent and deliver the things you set out to do more consistently even when you’re not in the mood? I believe consistency is a journey, a habit you acquire through practice.  I love this quote by Jim Rohn

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.” E. James Rohn

Whether you are trying to lose weight or running a business, consistently applying a particular routine or task is what will create breakthroughs. I believe the most successful people are hardly the smartest or more competent, they’re usually the most consistent.

In order to achieve the things you want, there needs to be some level of commitment, discipline and a sense of obligation to that task or goal. Being consistent does not mean being perfect, it means being disciplined.

Here are three ways to be more consistent more often:

#1 Develop a Morning Practice

Being more consistent is all about developing discipline. I know this is an area that I had to purposefully work on and still working on. I created a morning ritual for myself to develop the habit of doing something consistently, daily with commitment.

Find something that you really love and enjoy doing and commit to doing it daily or often. Whether it’s yoga, a morning run or meditation to set the right intention for your day, whatever it is that works for you, decide on a routine and develop the habit of sticking to it. Since you already enjoy doing this, it should not feel like work.

When you develop the habit of doing one thing consistently, you’ll be amazed how this transcends to the other areas of your life.

Being consistent does not necessarily mean doing this task every day, but if you have decided on two days a week (e.g. Mondays and Wednesday), hold yourself accountable and stick to it. Know that it is OK to miss a day, you’re not here to be perfect, but try to show up more often, you’re worth it.

#2 Don’t Wait to be in the Mood

One of the keys to being consistent more often is realizing that your mood is temporary and can be very deceptive. There are times when I’m not in the mood and find every trivial reason to distract myself from doing, but once I start, everything changes, I build momentum while I am working and suddenly things start to flow. I am always happy and satisfied that I decided to take action despite how I felt in the beginning. For me its the satisfaction I know that is waiting for me when I can enjoy the outcome or success of a particular task and the people that will benefit from it. I see myself and another enjoying the fruits of my labor and that is motivation enough.

You have to find out what motivates you to overcome your mood.

Start with small tasks, small steps, find that driving factor, focus on it and kick your mood to the curb because you’ve got big things to do.

#3 Remember why you started

Your “why” needs to be your driving force to take consistent action. Why is doing is doing this so important? Who am I depriving of the benefits of my actions. What would be different if I took action? Let that hold you accountable for showing up and taking action more often.

There is a reason that you have this desire to accomplish a certain goal and you owe it to yourself to find out what it is by taking action consistently. There must be a compelling reason that drives you and remind you of why you started, perhaps to shift or change something in your life. Perhaps your skills and gift can shift and change something in someone else’s life. You need to find out.