The Power of Consistency and Action

There is great power in taking ACTION and being CONSISTENT. One of the things I have learned is that you have to expect the unexpected. So many of us have long-term plans, but life happens and we keep taking action toward those plans and being consistent to make those plans into reality. Yes, planning is important. Remember that this day will never come again and your actions and consistency in the remaining hours of this day could move your life in a whole new direction, so in this blog we are going to talk about taking action and being consistent, so read on and enjoy, but most importantly, take notes and apply.

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Being consistent and taking action goes hand in hand. Deciding to take action is the first step in ensuring that you are moving forward in the direction of your goals and dreams. That action involves consistency because without consistency you can't build momentum to get results for whatever you are looking to accomplish. 

For example, if you love to workout like I do, the action is not what get the results that you want, ie... fit body, bulging muscles, or a slim physique. The consistency behind your actions builds the momentum for weight loss that ultimately gives you the body you are trying to gain and maintain.

Another example can be today is the day you can revisit those resolutions you made earlier this year and see where you are right now and take the first action by asking yourself "what can I do realistically, consistently that will help me achieve these goals I set for this year?"

• Today is the day you could pull out your journal and reflect on what’s not working for you in your life.
• Today is the day you could articulate a new set of personal standards that resonate with your core values.

Understand the actions and consistency you do in your day makes up your life. As you live each of your days in the present, fully, with action and consistency in your endeavors, you are crafting your life. 

So what am I saying? I am saying that if you manage your time by being consistent action takers, you'll master your life.

That's how the best succeed. What I learned through writing STRETCHYOURSELF and interviewing successful people is that success comes from taking action not on a large scale, but from the consistent practice of simple fundamentals and being disciplined in your consistent action. In other words, the best of the best take ACTION and are CONSISTENT. 

All too often we think success is complicated. And through interviews and discussions with some successful people in business and in life, I realize that they are using very simple practices but that they execute around these principles religiously. 

One of the most important of these fundamentals is that they are meticulous about protecting their time.

So the first step in being consistent is to know where you are going. 

• Knowing your destination increases your focus. 
• Knowing your destination allows you to make wiser choices. 
• Knowing your destination saves you precious time and energy. If you don’t know where you are going, any road is not going to get you there. 

Let me give you an analogy for this: If you need to drive from Toronto to New York City, what do you do? The first thing you are going to do is locate the destination. Then you are going to plot your course on your GPS. You’d laugh at someone who said I’m going to drive to New York City and just hopped into their car without GPS, map, or a plan. That would be recipe for disaster.

Most people spend more time planning their summer vacations than they do planning their lives. You would laugh at a business that had no business plan. You would laugh at a business that didn’t reflect on strategy. You would laugh at a business that did not articulate its mission and its guiding values. Yet most people don’t have a plan for their lives. Most people have not articulated a philosophy for their lives. Most people don’t have a mission for their life. And one of the most important things I’ve discovered is that if you don’t have a plan and a philosophy for your life you will end up living someone else’s life and working someone else's passion. 

I had lunch a month ago with a long time friend/mentor of mine and he told me that his focus for success was one thing and that is his BIG VISION, the LONG TERM GOAL. Then he plans and bases all his small actions on his LONG TERM VISION and that keeps him focused as he gets closer to his goals. WOW!

My mentor believes that if you want to live an extraordinary life then everything that you do has to be aligned to your vision. For example, if a meeting or an action is not aligned with your vision then have the discipline to say no to it. Because that meeting will take time away from pursuing your goals.

The second step is to have the plan to move forward consistently with small steps

Despite what people say, I believe that life is simple. It's a matter of know your core values, who you are as a person, and then making decisions and managing those decisions with consistent actions day to day. The knowledge and experience gained should make it easier to be consistent, but we usually get in our own way and make things more complicated so here are some questions you can ask yourself when you have a plan and you plan to make it work

•  Can I apply the knowledge I learned
•  Can I repeat the process and share it with others that are helping me towards my goal?

These questions will help you stay consistent, and as you expand your vision by empowering others to be consistent with you, this will free you to visualize your goals and take more action in the direction of accomplishing your goals.

The last step is to design your life around your goals, not your goals around your life

Many people don't stay consistent in their actions because they worry and spend time trying balance their work life that they spend half that energy managing their own personal relationships they keep with themselves, and their family, friends, or significant others and their goals end up on the back burner. Make your life the best it can be by making your relationships outside of your passion or goals the best it can be. The rest will work itself out.

Being consistent action takers is about knowing WHO you are, and then maximizing own your own core values to your benefit and growth. Once you are able to manage who you are, then you can apply it to your passion or goals, while taking the time to enhance the relationships with your family and friends.

As I write this my daughter Neena is showing me a picture that she drew today. Neena is a big anime fan and I taught her how to draw when she was able to hold a pen by allowing her to trace over pictures that I drew. Today, her art is amazing and has won awards and has been placed in the children's museum here in Atlanta.

She wants me to draw with her.

So I'm stopping what I'm doing to spend quality time with what matters most to me in life...my relationship with my girls. After all, what is it to pursue a goal and deprive yourself of having some fun? Anyone that knows me knows that it will NOT happen... not on my watch. 

So take personal time for you, remember this is YOUR life, make the BEST of it!

You only get one chance at this life, yet many people seem to treat as if they are practicing for the next time. Each one of us goes through experiences where we learn and grow and have to figure out life as we go along. Things can get hectic, crazy even. We will FAIL, We will make mistakes, but we still need to give it our BEST shot by being consistent with our actions

Your turn…

What are some of the things you would do to stay consistent in your actions? How are you balancing your work life relationship? Remember being consistent means to take consistent action in all areas of the relationships you keep, not just your goals? How do you keep the balance with the most important relationship you keep?

Leave a comment below and share your thoughts with the STRETCHYOURSELF community.

Thank you for reading this and I hope my experiences move in the direction with determined consistency and action. I look forward to connecting with you soon.