“Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing. That’s the Law of Consistency. It doesn’t matter how talented you are. It doesn’t matter how many opportunities you receive. If you want to grow, consistency is key.” — John Maxwell
Consistency is key for growth and transformation. Although it’s not easy, it’s absolutely critical for success. So many people don’t invest their time wisely. They spend many of the hours given each day on earth on the things that bring absolutely zero return.
Take my morning routine for example. I used to NEVER be an early riser. I was the guy that would sleep to the latest wake up time possible that would get me out of the house and to my office right before my team’s morning start time. Only to realize that after doing this my entire life, my personal growth and development was backsliding. I knew that if I was to make time to develop the leader within me, I needed to get my butt out of bed at least two hours before anybody in the world required anything from me. It wasn’t easy to go through that paradigm shift in my routine, but after months and months of continuously rolling back my wake up time, it isn’t even an option now. And that same discipline of consistency I started with then, has carried over into many different areas of my life and leadership!
If there is one thing that I know first hand that has changed over the last five or so years, it’s the amount of time it takes for things to happen and develop. We have become a culture that really doesn’t appreciate and value time anymore. Even though it is our most prized resource. We expect things to be done quickly. We’re used to instant results and very fast feedback. Our default setting is impatience. And while some things are fine when done fast, others suffer when we skimp on time. Things like…
RELATIONSHIPS – People require time – your spouse, your children, your Team, your friendships.
HEALTH – Trust me, once you get past 40 – your health requires more of your time! Even if all you want is to live a reasonably healthy life, you still have to set aside time to exercise and eat well.
PERSONAL GROWTH – As I’ve often said in any of my leadership teachings, your growth as a person isn’t automatic! In order to grow as a person, you have to put in the hours of reading, reflecting, and spending time with people who can help you be better!!
Now, none of these above are new ideas to you. You’re smart enough to know that each one of these areas needs an investment of time on your part. And I’m sure as you are reading this, there may be other areas of your life that are coming to mind.
Here’s the good news today: you can very easily make improvements in the way you invest your time. All it takes is one simple habit. CONSISTENCY
Most people don’t understand the power of consistency. Because they use so much of their time poorly, they feel a great pressure to maximize what little time they have. That pressure leads them to overdo it. Whatever the area, the pressure to make the most of the time available often leads to bad results, which leads to people further neglecting to spend the time necessary to make things better. I was that guy!
All of this can be avoided with the habit of consistency. Consistency in this case means you give a little bit of time to each area every day, and stick with it. Maybe to start with, you spend 5-10 minutes every morning having a great conversation with your spouse. You read a book or listen to a podcast for 5-10 minutes each day. You dedicate 15 solid minutes every evening to playing with your kids. You allocate 10 minutes a day to call/text a friend. You put $50 into a savings account every week. You exercise for 20 minutes a day. Whatever it is, start small… And watch the results that will come with the investment!
It won’t feel like much at first, but it’s the discipline to stick with it that yields not only the tangible results of the investment, but the internal rewards as well. You learn to increase the time you give each area each day. You become more aware of how badly you’re wasting time. You get sharper, smarter, and more focused as a result. If I had to narrow down one personal growth habit that I feel has helped me in my leadership the most, it was that of becoming consistent with my schedule and routine. Not letting my days control me, but me controlling my days!
When you live with consistency, you learn that the rewards you seek in life don’t come after you take one step; they come when you’ve taken a journey to a place you’ve never been.
Ask yourself this – What do you display consistency in? Is it your leadership, your spiritual development, your dedication to your family? What areas are hitting you the most that you know could use some sharpening?