You must have seen an airplane taking off and speeding high to fly in the sky and go so fast that in just a few hours it manages to land on the destined runway of an airport. Or you must have seen popcorn popping out of a popcorn machine and ready to eat, similarly you may have ordered a pizza and would have got it at your doorstep instantly.
What is common in these scenarios? Getting something quickly. Like the passengers in an airplane can reach their destination quickly, we can savour the popcorn or the pizza immediately.
Such instant gratification or immediate results are very tempting and every one of us nowadays has got into the habit of wanting everything at the fastest pace. But does ‘getting success’ also fall in this category.
Can we also expect Success so quickly? The answer to this is not always a ‘No’.
Sometimes we may come across people getting success in life very early. But it’s not always true and realistic that success is achieved with speed. A very reliable way to be successful seems to be in being ‘consistent’. Consistency in efforts is surely something that can take us closer to success or be successful.
Don’t want to agree to this so soon, but that’s fine, in fact, appreciated, since we would want you to continue reading this article to find out why success doesn’t always ask for speed but it surely demands consistency.
First, let us understand what does ‘consistent’ means?
To be consistent means staying focused and dedicated to something. Consistent efforts would mean taking efforts for a longer duration and on a regular basis. It involves a long-term commitment and sustainability toward taking efforts for achieving or accomplishing goals.
What helps in maintaining consistency of efforts?
1. Doing hard work and staying healthy
Even in the age of technology and abundant gadgets that are making life easier, hard work should be a priority. We should not skip work, instead, we should be willing to do a lot of work.
Doing hard work is like reading or researching a hundred books and much more ahead of writing a book yourself. Hard Work may be tiring and exhaustive hence, staying healthy while working hard goes hand in hand. Health as we all know is wealth and a healthy lifestyle is a stepping stone to experiencing success.
2. Patience with discipline
Giving up, quitting or leaving something undone can be common but is definitely not a milestone on the journey to success. To reach success one needs to have patience in times of stress, pressure, difficulty and confusion.
The situation could be tough yet staying patient while the darkness fades away is a quality of the successful. Along with patience, one needs to maintain the discipline required on the personal as well as professional level. One has to manage a self-routine that is helpful in accomplishing the set goals.
3. Being ready for trial and error
Often in life, things may not go the same way as we may have planned hence, being ready for changes after trials and errors is a plus.
People are motivated to try and do something on the first day or time but on the 11th day, the level of motivation may be low due to delayed or different results from our trials.
Sometimes errors and mistakes committed can discourage us from going ahead to correct but that’s where we need to take a stand on accepting our errors, correcting them and trying more.
What can act against consistency in efforts?
1. Demand for instant gratification
The age that we all are living in is highly influenced by technology and a demand for instant gratification. Social media, marketing and the food sector are a few examples of work areas that have promoted instant gratification to a large extent.
Wanting likes, buying in excess or expensive, instant food, etc. can explain instant gratification.
2. Lack of discipline
People become lazy when it comes to disciplining themselves at various age levels. They choose to procrastinate and get distracted from healthy habits.
Lack of discipline sounds self-explanatory in conveying that success listens to those who are disciplined and ignores those who are ignorant of the discipline itself.
3. Poor self-control
One has to have the ability to impose self-control wherever and whenever necessary. Whether it is about enjoying or doing hard work we should know where to draw the lines.
We may be tempted to act in a self-defeating manner by indulging too much in unnecessary things but that can hinder success.
4. No accountability or responsibility
We all must have experienced how students in a classroom start behaving once the teacher has left the classroom for some reason. It turns into chaos most often.
Moreover, imagine that there would be no homework or practice work to be given by the teacher to such students, they would go haywire. Lack of accountability and responsibility in people is non-progressive and can at times be digressive.
How to be consistent in achieving success?
Reminders
Make use of reminders, alarms and planners when you set goals. These tools are often found to be supportive in staying on track for achieving the tiniest to the biggest goals.
Rewards
Accomplishments gone unnoticed can be discouraging hence it is good to have a reward system for your tasks. Self-rewarding for doing as planned by you is highly recommended.
The reward should be appropriate to the work done and be encouraged to get more rewards in the future rather than making one feel completely satisfied.
Correcting
To err is human, hence, blaming or feeling guilty about mistakes should be avoided. Instead, the mind and efforts should be directed in correcting the mistakes or errors. Brainstorming ideas, problem-solving and being open to making changes can be useful for correcting.
Having a Mentor/Coach
Human beings are social animals and learning, working or training happens better in the presence of other people for most human beings. So, having a mentor or coach is an added advantage or should we say a privilege while treading the road to success.
