Consistency is Key!

Hello Gold Star Squad, and welcome to Tune Up Tuesday!

Last week's post discussed the importance of taking small, easy steps in order to achieve our goals or accomplish our resolutions. We will naturally appreciate life more if we are moving in the direction that we desire!

But, it's not enough to take just one small step. Or to take a couple of small steps for a few days.

To get to where we want to go, we are going to need something else, and that something is consistency.

Yep, it's such a big deal that I am spelling it out in flashing letters for you!

I think that people give up too quickly on realizing their dreams, new desired habits, etc. I once heard that people completely overestimate what they can accomplish in one year, and they also grossly underestimate what they can accomplish in 5 years.

When people don't accomplish what they think they should have been able to in a short period of time, it can lead to giving up on a project too soon. Sticking with something will, of course, not ensure success, but giving up too soon will certainly guarantee failure!

I have experienced this myself in both of my other current business endeavors. I started my walking tour business in April 2017, and I barely made any money at all that first year. I completely overestimated what I could get done in those first nine months. But I kept chipping away at items on my business to-do list, and by my third year, I was doing better than I had anticipated (of course, once the pandemic hit, all of that went out the window!).

Same thing with my Zazzle business. My designs were not an overnight sensation, but I did not give up on developing another revenue stream for myself! I kept creating product designs regularly.

In fact, I now do my best to create at least two Zazzle products every single day. It really doesn't take that much time to post a couple of products, and they certainly add up over time. Now, almost 3 years later, I am making a small but steady income from taking consistent daily steps to increase my revenue.

I think that part of the problem is that when we get excited about a new idea, we try to change too many things at once. If we want to improve our health, for example, we might decide that we are going to start exercising regularly, eat more healthy foods, give up alcohol and/or sweets, and get more sleep – ALL AT THE SAME TIME. This is bound to become overwhelming after a day or two, and then you may get frustrated and give up on taking any steps at all!

Another possibility is that you might try to change too many areas at once. Having too many goals/resolutions in play at the same time can be a recipe for disaster. Trying to lose weight, start a new hobby, save more money, and get organized simultaneously probably isn't going to work.

Or we spend too much time doing something, and burn out too fast. When I started on Zazzle, I could have spent 12 hours a day creating product designs, that's how excited I was about it! But I know that I could not have kept that pace up for very long. As the old adage goes, slow and steady wins the race!

Instead of trying to change everything at once, you can introduce one small, very easy step that you think you can do every day. Ideally, you want that action to become automatic before you add in another one.

For example, I am always working to improve my health. I have read that drinking a large glass of water in the morning can be beneficial in many ways, including giving a boost to your metabolism and increasing your energy levels. This is something small and easy that I can focus on, and I am now trying to make it a habit. I pour out a big glass of water before I go to bed and set it out where I can see it right when I get up in the morning.

I just started this recently, and I have still managed to forget to drink the water on some days, but I feel confident that I will get there. Once I have the morning glass of water on autopilot, I will move on to the next improvement!

Of course, there will be times when you won't be able to take consistent steps toward your goal. You might have an unanticipated problem arise, maybe even more than one.

Knowing this and expecting it to happen from the outset should help you get back up on the proverbial horse again much more easily. It's important to go into the process with a willingness to begin again and again. If you drop the ball, it's more than okay, just start up again as soon as possible.

It's crazy to think about how much you could accomplish if you just took small consistent steps toward your goal almost every single day. I'm sure that if you reflect on it, you'll see that you've already accomplished a ton of things in your life by being consistent. What goal will you tackle next that will allow you to appreciate life even more than you already do? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!