Our ability to take consistent action is really key to generating positive outcomes. But it seems that many people struggle with consistency. It's about following through long after the initial state of mind in which you made a decision has passed. Whether we like it or not, a key motivator for many of us is pain and that can show up in many different forms - frustration with our current situation, a negative bank balance, a job that's no longer fulfilling, the relationship that's no longer going anywhere or the body that is crying out to be healthier. Eventually, we get to a point where we can't stand the current situation any longer and decide to take action. This is typically accompanied with initial optimism and hope at having taken a decision. We start to work out more, we pay attention to our finances and typically even start to see the first positive results. At that point, our initial pain and motivation starts to diminish. This is known as the “pressure-cooker” effect: when the pressure to change becomes reduced the motivation to continue also becomes reduced.
There can be 3 contributing factors to a lack of consistency:
1) The initial bar you set for yourself was too high in the first place. In this, you're ultimately setting yourself up for failure. For example, you've decided it's time to get into shape and you commit to going to the gym every day of the week as well as completely overhauling eating habits. A couple of weeks into this new regime, you're tired and other commitments keep getting in the way of exercise. You find you can't keep up and fall back into your former habits. What you should have done is set more realistic targets that can be achieved and help you develop consistency. We often go to extremes when we're under pressure to change but this doesn't necessarily make for the best long-term solution. Before committing to new goals, ask yourself “how sustainable is this?” as well as “what else will need to change in my life in order for me to follow through fully?”
2) You focussed on immediate pain without creating a more compelling vision of success. Envisioning a longer term vision can help you to be more creative in finding solutions and remaining flexible in your consistency. I recently heard of a manager of who had received feedback from his team that they were lacking direction and wanted regular meetings with him so that they could be better informed and re-assess the changing priorities that they were often encountering. He responded to the feedback by immediately setting up daily 30 minute meetings with his team. Given that he travels frequently, these new meetings didn't even last one week before they were abandoned. Had he taken the time to think about the longer term benefits for the whole team he might have been able to brainstorm with his team members different ways that they could remain connected and informed.
3) You're great at starting new projects but not so great on completion. This can be a challenge for a lot of high achievers who can have lots of great ideas but never seem to be able to follow through fully to completion. There are only two ways to solve this problem - either you have to associate yourself with others who are better on completion to help keep you motivated or you need to develop this muscle for yourself. The latter will ultimately give you a real sense of achievement and help you to think more thoroughly about what you say yes to so that you can be sure to follow through more fully.
It typically takes less energy to take consistent action and build momentum than it does to have to start all over again. When you notice your enthusiasm waning, remind yourself of your longer term goals and what you stand to gain by consistently taking action. Break your longer term goal into smaller milestones and make sure you celebrate your achievements. If you find yourself only motivated when you're in “pain”, ask yourself “what will be the ultimate pain I will feel if I don't follow through this time?”. By asking this question, you'll take your attention away from the short term fix and connect with the real longer term success that you really desire.
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