Ralph Waldo Emerson once called consistency “the
hobgoblin of little minds,” consistency’s role in every success should never be
underestimated. In order to achieve any goal be it personal or professional requires continual effort and consistency to reach desired and achievable objectives.
The key to consistency comes in forming success driven habits. Be it working out at the gym several times each week to reach a certain weight or fitness level, or maintaining integrity by consistently applying your life principles of reliability and honesty. In business, to
build character and to become who you want to be, the sense of accomplishment will in time replace the drudgery of not taking time away from working on the goals that you set. When you just don’t want to do the work you must in order to succeed, do it anyway! Achieving success, and reaching your ultimate goals requires practice, practice, practice and even more practice – and the more you practice, the easier it will become to reach your targeted goals.
How do you get started in developing or improving your
consistency and diligence?
Here are a few ideas:
- Set a target. Example: target goal is to grow your Instagram followers, or Twitter following, sell X amount of widget by a certain date. That is your goal.
- Write down a game plan to reach your goal. What steps will it take? Set intermediary goals too so you can help gauge your progress on the way to the target.
- Set quantifiable goals – Being able to track progress works wonders for consistency. It’s encouraging to see that you’re making progress in reaching for your end goal and to see just how far you've come from your starting point. Don’t forget to include milestones, since those add fuel to the sense of accomplishment along the way.
- Learn the analytics for the format i.e. blog, or other social media format and what and how they are measured. You need to know how and what to measure in order to really track progress, see trends or spot set backs along the path to the goals you've set.
- Follow a good example – Trying to get in better shape? Keep an eye on a friend who works out daily, discuss what they've found that helps them achieve and also observe how he or she manages to do it. Looking to improve your company’s bottom line? Find a case study for a comparable company that’s achieved a similar end goal. Analyze how they got from Point A to Point B. There’s nothing like the positive pressure that comes from watching a peer achieve something we’d like to achieve for ourselves. If you’re feeling bold, network with your "example" for insights, tips or even encouragement to help reach that goal for yourself. Chances are they’ll feel flattered that you noticed their dedication.
- Can't over emphasize enough just how important it is to read and learn all you can for all goals you set in life
- Visualize your targeted objective – Get detailed with envisioning the end goal in your mind’s eye, and conjure that image every time you feel like taking a break from your efforts even for a day. The more you understand specifically what you’re working toward, the less likely you are to sacrifice what you want most for what you want at the moment.
