Whenever you start a new project, the beginning is always exciting. Your idea is amazing, and you know if you can make it work, it will be a huge success. You’ve planned everything out and created a schedule that will keep you busy until the end of the year. You’re really pleased with your progress so far and you’re proud beyond belief to be taking action to bring your dreams to life. But now the doubt is starting to creep in. Can you really do this? Are you going to be able to follow through with your plan? What if it doesn’t work? Being consistent was never your strong suit, so what should you do?
Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
If you want to keep the momentum going, then being consistent is what you should aim for. Many people find this difficult though. They seem full of energy and ideas when they start but after a few days or weeks they lose their enthusiasm, and their activity seems to taper off. Why does this happen? What makes them lose all interest in the projects they had so much passion for a few weeks ago?
Is it laziness? Could it be the fear of failure? Or is it just a lot more work than they were expecting? Why do so many people start out with big dreams of a bright future or a new way of life, only to give it all up a short while later in favour of their comfort zone. Often, they find being consistent hard because their attention is on the result rather than the process they must go through to arrive at their desired outcome.
Take Consistent Action
If this is something you really want, and you’re prepared to work for it then you need to integrate the methods you are using into your life and your identity. If you combine the actions that lead to the development of your project into your lifestyle, so that they coexist alongside you every day, you’ll automate the operation of your strategy. By making it part of your life, being consistent will become straightforward. This is no easy task. So far, I have only come across two circumstances that lead to a person being able to consistently adopt a new routine.
Necessity
The first is necessity. When we have to do something out of necessity, whether we like it or not we find a way to include it in our lives. We resign ourselves to the fact that we have no choice. Even if it makes us miserable, we do it day in, day out. This is no way to live your life though. Eventually, something has to give. It’s simply not sustainable to do something out of necessity for the rest of your life. If you’re trying to make change in your life, then it needs to be for the right reasons.
I spent years of my life doing a job I didn’t enjoy for the sole purpose of paying the bills. I was consistent at doing this job even though it made me unhappy. A hardworking and loyal employee, year after year I did this job to the best of my ability. Always out of necessity because I believed there was no other way to support myself. It didn’t occur to me that the damage this would do to my wellbeing would not be worth the sacrifice. When you do things as a means to an end, you become stuck in a survival cycle. When you are trapped within that belief system it can seem impossible to find a way out, or even be aware that there is another way.
Do What You Love
The second is love. If you find something you love to do, incorporating it into your life will be the most natural thing in the world. It won’t be difficult at all. You’ll think about it all the time, and you’ll be excited to get out of bed in the morning. You’ll continually want to improve and develop your skill. Your productivity will increase, and you’ll be motivated to create your best work because of your love for it. Doing something you love makes you happier and your sense of fulfilment will be increased. If you can find a way of making a living while doing something you love, then you’ve hit the jackpot.
Love What You Do
When I was young, I loved horses. I spent all my time thinking about them, talking about them, and reading books about them. My bedroom walls were covered in posters of the equestrian heroes of the time. Every Saturday I had riding lessons at the local riding school. I would spend all day there. Mucking out the stables, grooming the horses and ponies, feeding them, sweeping the yard, cleaning tack. In fact, I would do anything I could to be around the horses and ponies and help out at the stables. I loved being there and learning all I could about how to look after them. I couldn’t wait for Saturday morning to arrive.
During the week I had to go to school and like most young people, it was almost impossible to get me out of bed in the morning. It was a constant battle to get up and off to school every day, and it was always a rush because I would drag it out until the last possible moment. I did not like getting up at all and I didn’t like going to school much either. However, when Saturday morning came around, I was out of bed at the crack of dawn and off to the stables as early as possible. I couldn’t wait to get there and start a day of unpaid work just because I loved it that much.
Your Passion Project
When you have a passion for something, obstacles that usually seem difficult aren’t even an issue. They don’t stop you from doing that thing you love. The sense of joy you get from engaging with your passion is enough to help you overcome the fear and live in alignment with your purpose. When you find something you love, you won’t let anything stand in your way. Even the biggest hurdles won’t stop you doing whatever it is that lights you up, and makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning.
Commit To Being Consistent
If being consistent is something you would like to master, make sure what you’re doing is something that you love truly love. When you choose something that gets you excited, making it part of your lifestyle will be natural, and it won’t take much effort to include in your identity. Commit to focusing on your project every day for one week. When you reach the end of the week, congratulate yourself for sticking to your plan. Next increase it to two weeks, then three weeks and so on.
After a month or two, this habit will be locked in. When you focus on incremental increase and couple that with your passion for what you’re doing, being consistent will become your default state. Remember to hold yourself accountable and don’t be too hard on yourself if you miss a day. Get back on track the next day and keep working toward your goal. If it happens more often that you’d like, ask a friend or partner to check in on your progress. This will keep you accountable to an outside authority. When someone else is observing what you’re doing, it can give you the extra motivation to get things done.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re successful will depend on you. How quickly you get to your destination is down to how disciplined and consistent you are. Only you know your motivation and how much you want to achieve your goal. If you’re being consistent and making a conscious effort to achieve steady progress each week, those small steps you’re making each day will lead to results. Keep going and remember that every day is another chance to do your best.
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