The Power of Consistency
Vince Lombardi, recognised as one of the greatest coaches and leaders in the history of all American sports, said, "Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while... you don't do things right once in a while... you do them right all the time. Winning is habit."
'Winning is a habit' is a powerful statement. And it couldn't be more accurate.
Our habits can make or break us.
Positive habits lead us to our goals. Negative habits take us further away from our potential.
Cambridge Dictionary defines a habit as " something you do often and regularly." In essence, habits are consistent behaviours we build into our lives each day.
Consistent behaviour = habits
I want to hone in on the word 'consistent' as this is the key to success.
When we have a goal, we have to take action toward that goal. And we take action through forming habits, and we develop habits by adopting consistent, positive behaviours.
We all have dreams, but often people fail to carry out daily tasks to help them achieve those dreams. For example, hitting the snooze button is a habit, so is getting up at 5am to start writing that book, training at the gym, or launching that project. These two different habits equate to two very different outcomes.
The reason why people don't realise their dreams is because they are inconsistent with the habits that can help them reach their potential. In my coaching practice, I've observed that the one thing that sets people apart is consistency.
Forming consistent, positive habits
It's not what we do every so often that helps us achieve our goals; it's the actions we take consistently – every day, every hour, every minute. Positive habits are, therefore, not just behaviours we have at work or on the football field; they are actions we embed into our whole life.
The role of a coach is to help you identify the habits and behaviours that will make you a champion in your profession. There are three core habit pillars that I teach my clients – and each pillar is as important as the next. Once the habits are made clear, the next step is to practice them with dedication and respect every day.
Self-care habits: daily rituals that focus on mental and physical health, a positive mindset, and emotional and spiritual well-being. These could include daily walking and meditating.
Growth habits: positive actions that help leverage your potential. This could include reading self-help books or books about your profession and talking to a coach, essentially anything that helps cultivate knowledge, self-reflection and self-awareness.
Professional habits: the daily behaviours that are critical for success in your profession. For an athlete or entrepreneur, perhaps you get up early to train or work. For a sales manager, this could include scheduling time each day for cold calling.
Your ability to build consistent habits and behaviours is more important than any other objectives you might set. And if you commit to learning and doing something consistently, you will discover potential within yourself that you could never have imagined. Consistency is the path to peak performance and highest potential.
So, what can you do every day to bring you closer to your dreams? Do that thing consistently! Remember what's done in shadows reveals itself in the light.
P.s. If you'd like to explore this topic of consistency and habits, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is a good book for your reading list. More here.