Confidence is born out of consistency ⤴️
A few years ago, I had an exciting opportunity to sit down with a celebrated business author…Someone I really looked up to.
We got to know each other over a memorable (and delicious!) Indian lunch of samosas and curry. And while I crisscrossed between overenthusiasm and nervousness, he was very generous in sharing his hardest-won lessons as an author with me.
Eventually, I worked up the nerve to ask him the million-dollar question: What’s the secret to your mile-long track record of successful blogs, speeches, and bestselling books?!
I’ll never forget the simplicity of his answer: “Consistency.”
“I’ve been successful,” he said, “because I continue to write my blogs. I continue to finetune and reinvent my speeches. I continue to propose new book ideas. I continue to show up…”
Whoa!
Since that powerful moment, and many times since, I have found an incredible wellspring of confidence in learning to be consistent. Not just in my career but in my health.
Two years ago, I discovered weight training after getting sidelined by a running injury. Initially, I felt doubtful about my abilities - there were so many new gizmos, machines, and body forms to learn!
Then I realized I was squelching my own confidence. Disqualifying myself before anyone else had the chance to. And I decided that wasn’t cool - or consistent.
After giving myself permission to be a beginner, I committed to weight training four days a week. Was it tiring sometimes? Absolutely. Was I unsure of the outcome at times? YES. Did I just go through the motions some days? Um, yeah.
But today, two years after starting, I have a hobby and health routine that makes me happy. The learning, growth, and community I found (including my trainer) exceeded my wildest hopes and the confidence that came with showing up each day has been immeasurable.
If consistency is something you struggle with, try starting with the three techniques below, they’re designed to help you show up and tap a powerful source of steadiness within yourself!
Quick Confidence Tips to Bring More Consistency Into Your Life:
Embodied: Routinize your physical activity. Instead of working out when you can fit it in, what if you made a regimen that’s protected from the daily ups and downs of life? I’m talking about an unwavering routine of physical activity where you continually show up…for you. One study in Neurobiology of Aging uncovered that consistency in walking was key to healthy outcomes for its subjects. The researchers found, “…the most important part of physical activity is not the level you start at, but actually how well you maintain physical activity levels.” So schedule your activity into your life and then protect that time! Don’t fixate too much on your starting point. Remember, persistence will help you get it – but consistency will help you keep it.
Mindset: Set a consistency challenge. Setting a consistency challenge can take an aspiration and make it real and tangible. Maybe it’s a yearlong challenge around reading 12 books or a 30-day nutrition challenge. Setting a consistency challenge means we don’t wait around for a big life change to happen to us. Instead, WE make that life change happen through many steady, small steps. You should expect ups, downs, and curveballs along the way - but decide that the one thing that will remain stable is YOU. Repeat after me: You don’t have to be superhuman, just consistent.
Interpersonal: Enlist a crowd. Mounting research shows that there are benefits to pursuing a goal with a pack. This concept of “strength in numbers” shows that working out with a crowd, for example, increases individuals’ consistency, duration, motivation, conversation, and inspiration. Wow! Part of the reason here is if someone misses a class or has an absentee day, it’s noticed by others. There is built-in accountability. So how will you leverage the strength of the crowd to boost your motivation and hardiness to keep going?
Consistency doesn’t mean never messing up – it’s about not giving up, and believing you are worth that commitment to excellence.
And on the really hard days? Remember this: the same voice that says “Give up” can also be trained to say “Keep going.”
What about you? Is there an area in your life where you could use the power of consistency to build your confidence? Let me know in the comments, I love hearing from you.