ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

I have just finished my first week of training back at the dojo, and it was a struggle! The dojo shut down over the Christmas and New Year period, so I had two weeks away. Although I managed to fit in a few Home Workouts, working through the first kickboxing class of the new decade was a challenge.

I was tiring out quicker than usual and needed more rest time between exercises and rounds to recover adequately. It wasn’t just me either, looking around and conversing with my peers, it seemed most shared my sentiments. Many regretted partying too hard during the end of year festivities and were beginning to pay the price in the New Year.

If only people were more consistent with themselves, they would not fall into such blunders. This advice also applies to me. Writing this article will serve as a reminder that consistency is paramount in all that you do.

How do I become more consistent in what I do?

I am glad you asked, if you have not yet read my articles on Goal Setting, Seeking Motivation, and Cultivating Willpower, I suggest you do so and then continue reading this article where I unveil the way to greater consistency.

Seven Ways to boost Consistency

1. Begin each day Consistently
2. Kill Procrastination
3. Enjoy the Process not the Outcome
4. Have a Clear, Actionable Plan
5. March through the Peaks and Troughs
6. Recharge when Needed
7. Build a Fine Image to Live Up To

1. Begin each day Consistently

How you begin each morning will carry itself through to the remainder of the day. I would even go as far as to say that the day is won or lost, based on your morning routine. So be consistent with your morning in the right way! If you start each day on the wrong foot, you will end up on the back foot, reacting to everything that comes your way. If you begin each morning with a healthy routine, it will serve as your backbone as you traverse through the day.

2. Kill Procrastination

Procrastination is the opposite of consistency unless you are a consistent procrastinator, though that is not something to be proud of. Read my article on procrastination and develop countermeasures for it, thereby your consistency will improve.

Develop consistency within your mind, and your body will follow.

3. Enjoy the Process not the Outcome

Having a definite goal or outcome to strive towards is excellent. If you become too focused on the end result or if you do not enjoy the process involved to reach the outcome however, your consistency is likely to falter. You need to enjoy the journey, at least most of the time, to have any real shot at maintaining a consistent effort.

4. Have a Clear, Actionable Plan

It becomes increasingly difficult to apply consistent effort if you doubt that such efforts will yield a profitable result. This is why it is so important to have a clear, actionable plan, broken down into specific achievable steps for you to follow. Plan the work and then work the plan. If need be, create a schedule and set reminders to help you stick to the program.

5. March through the Peaks and Troughs

You will inevitably make some blunders along the way. The biggest mistake you can make, however is to lose consistency when you hit a roadblock. If anything, a setback should fire you up to work even harder to overcome it and make up for any lost momentum.

The converse is that success can be equally, if not more dangerous than failure. When people do finally succeed, it can be ever so tempting to ease up on the throttle and take things easy. This is one of the biggest blunders people make and is why such success is often fleeting rather than lasting. As soon as you succeed, you should be planning for the next endeavour and taking immediate steps to launch your next initiative. The winners in life maintain a consistent effort regardless of their current standing. 

Whether you succeed or fail, remain consistent.

6. Recharge when Needed

A steady, consistent approach often triumphs over sporadic bursts of activity. The tortoise versus the hare. Although the hare is the quicker creature, the tortoise was able to triumph in a race due to outlasting the hare. You will travel further over a longer distance if you pace yourself, rather than over-committing and exhausting yourself with your efforts.

7. Build a Fine Image to Live Up To

I will give you a few anecdotal examples for this one.

• I am a fighter. Therefore I train, even when I do not feel like it.
• I am a writer. Therefore I write, even when I do not feel like it.
• I am a pianist. Therefore I practice, even when I do not feel like it.

Get the drift? Being a fighter, writer, pianist, or whatever it is, builds a reputation to live up to. I couldn’t call myself any of those things if I didn’t put in the behind the scenes work to maintain the standards necessary to attribute myself to them.

So build yourself a fine reputation to live up to, and let it carry you through.

Conclusion

Utilise these seven pieces of advice to increase your consistency and become an unstoppable achieving machine! Think I missed anything out? Let me know in the comments what your top consistency tips are!

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.