Hey Everyone! Thanks for tuning in to the pod today- I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. And that your week is off to a good start. Philly clutched a superbowl win, so that was a nice boost to the start of the week. The streets were crowded here, there were fireworks, and parade preparations are underway. And there’s just a general buzz of excitement and happiness in the city right now that I have to admit is quite nice.
You know, the superbowl is like the career pinnacle for a football player. Some will get there right away, while others work years and years before achieving it, and yet still some never get there at all, but will still have successful careers. But no matter the outcome, what those top performers all have in common is an excellent work ethic. There are a lot of things that you can say about people who have a strong work ethic. But one thing that remains a common thread among folks with strong work ethics is the practice of consistency.
Consistency is one of those things where it makes all the difference. You know there are some people out the gate that are just extremely talented. They don’t have to put in any work for their talent to shine through. Dare I say some may even coast through. But sometimes that talent is never seen-it’s not nurtured and refined, and you may see someone that is a lot less talented “make it”. You ever wonder what the difference is there? Well in some instances, the answer is definitely consistency.
One definition for consistency is the achievement of a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over time. Now when I first hear that definition, one thing that sticks out to me is the phrase “ does not vary greatly”. And you maybe you’re thinking, while would I want to spend my time doing something that isn’t going to move the needle. Except it does move the needle. Consistency is repetition, it’s refining and building a muscle. You ever wonder why that bakery that’s been around for 40 years still has thee best cakes? It’s because they have been making the same cake for 40 years!
That consistency builds trust, it solidifies your reputation, it perfects the thing that may not have been getting the attention initially, but because you've done it 200 times, you get it right every time now. So having that natural talent is good, but coupled with consistency, you level up to great.
So here are a few key things that you should remember about consistency:
- If you want to improve your confidence, be consistent- Think about your first day at a new job. Sure, you may be fired up and excited, and have that overarching feeling of “I got this”, and you may also have the confidence that you are able to do the job. But this is very different from that feeling of “I know the job”. That takes a lot longer. You have to get your reps in for that, but once you get it- you got it. And no one can tell you anything about how to do that job because you know it inside and out. That’s what consistency brings. It’s the practice that makes us as close to perfect as we can get this side of heaven.
- Great things happen over time- just like a 40 year old bakery, you have the opportunity to perfect that which you do over and over again. In the moment, it doesn’t feel like much. May not feel like you are making much progress at all. But over time, you find that you are able to sift the flour a little more evenly. You fold the batter just so and learn not to overmix. Your hand is a bit more steady when you add the decorations. But that comes from the mundane. The repetition of consistency. Of showing up each and everyday and committing yourself to the craft until YOU become the masterclass.
- Your consistency will yield compound results- Those compound results are what you want! Investopedia describes compounding as the process in which an asset’s earnings, from either capital gains or interest, are reinvested to generate additional earnings over time. So when you are consistent, that effort you put in to show up each and every time, will yield you even more than what you put in. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a win to me.
- If you want to stop questioning yourself get consistent- because when you know that you know, you don’t have to second guess yourself. You’re the expert. You don’t have to wait on someone else to tell you what or how to do it, because your way is tried and true. You may decide to iterate on your proven method, or just explore different ways to do something, but you are already starting from a positive, because you are already doing it well.
And if you are not consistent, how will you know how far you can push yourself and how far you can go? Listen, we are striving for FULL POTENTIAL. Not partial. Do not allow yourself to plateau. We’re talking about mastering something so that we can move on to the next thing right? Well, once you master it on that level, you don’t stop there- if you are a writer and you’ve been cranking out 1000 words per day, set small goals to get your weight up- maybe you strive for 1200 words, then 1500 words to increase your productivity. If you work out and you’ve been using 15 lb weights- challenge yourself to try 20 lbs. You’re body is used to those 15 lb weights the same way your brain may not stretch ideas beyond a thousand words. There will be a max weight or word count one day, but you can’t reach your max without putting in the work- without trying. And you gotta do the grunt work to get there. But the top is not as fun if you start there.
So let’s talk about some basic tools that you can use for consistency.
Let’s start with Hey Siri. Or Hey Alexa. I ‘m not really a techy person, even though the technology is all around us and I actually work in tech, but in real life in my own brain, I am old school. I’m talking pen and paper for everything- budgets, thoughts, notes. But the bottom line is I need all of the reminders. And tapping into assistants like a siri or an alexa to help remind me of time blocks, or remember that I’m supposed to stop for that walk or workout, are very beneficial. So use the tech to help you stay on track. Lean into it to improve your consistency.
Also, an accountability partner is always helpful. There is nothing like another human reminding you of what you said you were going to do to light a fire. It’s like if you don’t do it, now you are letting down two people. And you are holding mirror up to yourself to face your shortcoming again since you have to explain it to your partner. So check in with someone- report on whether you got in that 2 mile walk, or those 1000 words to encourage you to stay consistent.
Similarly, try using a habit tracker. Something about having to skip over the boxes that you can’t check, especially if you are using paper, just isn’t as aesthetically pleasing. The boxes are meant to be checked! So get a tracker and make it look pretty by checking the boxes. You can even make a tracker if you feel creative.
If you use Google, you can also use Google Tasks to set those reminders for yourself as well.
Consistency is much more than just showing up and doing the same thing day after day. Consistency creates excellence. It allows people to build trust in you as well as allows you to build trust in yourself. It shows you what you're capable of and it can lead to your success. You don’t have to be the most naturally gifted. Or the one that initially gets all the accolades. Because at the end of the day it’s about who is showing up everyday, putting in the work, and delivering consistent results.
I’ll never forget back in college, my major was Fashion Design. And I was surrounded by some extremely talented designers. I had a portfolio class with some of the more gifted illustrators in my major. And illustration just wasn’t my strength- especially compared to some of the other girls in my class. And it was the end of the term, our final was due- we had to present our portfolios and go through critique and to my surprise, I got an A, while some of the other girls in the class who were much more talented did not. Now, my professor called me out as an example, which I didn’t love- but she made it a point to share with the class that yes, there are some super talented illustrators in here, y’all know who you are, and you probably thought that you would get an A based on your talent alone- but that wasn’t the assignment. Yes, this is an illustration class. But we were required to consistently work on the portfolio, over the course of the term, essentially showing our work as we went along. And some of them didn’t do that, but I did along with some of the other less talented designers and it worked out well for us.
And so that was a lifelong lesson for me that being the best isn’t solely based on your raw talent. It’s the full package that is needed for success. Are you willing to put in the work? Because we are not out here trying to be one hit wonders. We wanna have some longevity right- and a catalog full of receipts. Your consistency is your version of receipts.
I’ll share a few tools and articles in the show notes if you want more on the topic of consistency, and if you’d like me to dig in some more on the pod, or any other subject just drop me a line and let me know.
But, I’ll leave you with a quote from Maya Angelou today who said: "Consistency is the bedrock on which all things that make a person a success stand".
Thank you for listening. If what you’ve heard has been beneficial, please do not forget to rate, review, and share the pod. If you’ve listened this far, maybe you are willing to take another step and send a text to the pod, which you can find the link for in the show notes. Feel free to engage on TikTok, IG, or youtube as well. All of those handles are in the show notes, but really you can just search up defining your life. And I can’t wait to chat with you all again next week. Take care until then.
