11 Keys to Success: How Consistency Can Unlock Your Greatest Achievements

Think Big But Start Small

Life’s too short to play small. But, the overwhelm about any upcoming deadline or an audacious goal is often because we think we have to get it done all once. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. We can learn to break down the big project into manageable pieces. And start chipping away at it.

In fact, knocking off each of the small tasks gives us the much needed dopamine rush to continue to accomplish other tasks that are a part of the bigger project. Small gains help as anchors for momentum and motivation.

Create a measure of progress for yourself, so you feel good about chipping away at your tasks little by little. Entrust a friend to be your accountability partner so that they can help you track your progress.

Train Your Brain

When our addictions like tech, coffee and news can stick, why can’t we train our brains to get addicted to something that actually serves our cause.

Think of yourself as playing a long game. Small steps, one after the other, day by day, will lead you to the journey of achieving the unthinkable. With constant flow, water cuts deep channels even through the hardest rock. An iron piece rubbed into magnet constantly becomes a magnet.

Understand Accumulative Advantage

Accumulative advantage is what begins as a small advantage gets bigger over time. One plant only needs a slight edge in the beginning to crowd out the competition and take over the entire forest.

Over time, those that are slightly better end up with the majority of the rewards. Those that are slightly worse end up with next to nothing. This idea is sometimes referred to as The Matthew Effect, which references a passage in The Bible that says, “For all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”

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The Consistency Ladder

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Adopt The Pareto Principle

At the time, Pareto was studying wealth in various nations. As he was Italian, he began by analyzing the distribution of wealth in Italy. To his surprise, he discovered that approximately 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by just 20 percent of the people. Similar to the pea pods in his garden, most of the resources were controlled by a minority of the players.

Read more HERE.

Plan For Downtime

Build system and habits that take the guessing game out of your tasks and actions. Habits give a concrete game plan to be productive.

And the same goes for planning for things that are not in your control. When you don’t plan for emergencies and down time, things show up that will disrupt your ideal calendar for the day. So, it’s better to allow pockets for unknown tasks to show up.

Become Prolific

Being prolific means that you produce a lot of works. Forget prolific, most of us struggle to stay productive throughout the day. If I like to call myself a prolific writer, that means I’m writing every day. I’m putting out content every day. Stephen King is a prolific writer. He has published 59 novels, including seven under the pen name of Richard Bachman. He has also published over 200 short stories and five nonfiction books.

Does quantity mean quality. Over time, yes. Because if you’re trying to do something over and over again, you get better at that craft. Ultimately, you become the best of the best.

Prioritize Ruthlessly

Firstly, delegate like your life depends on it. Draw a line when it comes to answering emails and texts in the night, create your own digital curfew. Create a border control in your home. There must be some places where there’s no place for devices or distractions. Unbusy ruthlessly. Seek an accountability partner. And hold yourself accountable to them.

There’s no doubt email and our communication tools are a necessity in the modern world. Planning events, coordinating family gatherings, sending a quick note to a loved one who lives far away – the advantages are endless. However, we often forget that no one is tying our productivity to the number of seconds it took us to respond to an “urgent” email or text.

If nothing else works, imagine your eulogy.

Kick Procrastination To The Curb

Let’s face it, most of us are very good at being consistent with our inconsistency. And, when you’re trying to be consistent with forming good habits, procrastination might creep in if we don’t keep an eye on it.

It helps to have a clear goal and a clear plan to achieve it. Without a clear goal it’s difficult to figure out what you’re trying to get to. “I want to lose weight” is not a clear goal, “I want to lose 10 pounds in 3 months” is a good one. When there’s confusion, it’s an invitation for procrastination.

Think What Went Well

When we get busy with chasing a future fantasy for our lives, small pockets of joy slip away, unnoticed. When we stop to find the extraordinary beauty in the present moment, we’re filled with a poignant sentiment. And that’s gratitude.

Instead of coming from a place of scarcity, a gratitude attitude can help us remember how well we’re doing inspite of what we think we lack. It fills us up with abundance, helps lower stress, and improves our relationships. Start today with a “What went well” gratitude journal every night with three things that went well in the day. And, see how life transforms.

Believe In Your Worth

Life’s worth fighting for if we can see meaning in it. But, for many of us the gap between self-acceptance and self-embrace is a very long journey. We judge ourselves often, we can’t see value in what we do, and find it hard to battle self-doubt when we set out to accomplish something.

But it’s a route we must take if we plan to become caring and contributing citizens of the world. Along the way, there are many ways we can redeem ourselves every time we make a mistake.

Read more HERE.

Decide What You Will Sacrifice

Achieving goals without sacrifice is a myth. Something’s definitely gotta give. “I don’t think women can have it all. I just don’t think so. We pretend we have it all. We pretend we can have it all,” Indra Nooyi, the chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo once said.

You cannot lose weight and eat whatever you want, whenever you want. You have to make
concessions. Think about things that you have to sacrifice. You do not have to give up everything to accomplish your goals.

If you wish to lose weight, you can eat whatever you want on your ‘cheat day’. Commit to what you want to sacrifice and mentally prepare for it. For instance, if you aspire to be a musician, chances are you have to travel to perform. That means you must prepare yourself and your family that you will not be there for them all the time. Is it a sacrifice you’re willing to make?

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