The Key to Success: Persevere Beyond Consistency

What is the difference between persistence and consistency?

While persistence and consistency are used synonymously, they have distinct meanings. Persistence is the capacity to keep working towards a goal or task despite challenges or failures. On the other hand, consistency is the ability to perform a task or behavior repeatedly over a period of time.

Persistence and consistency are crucial for success but require different skills and mindsets. This blog post will dive into the distinction between persistence and consistency and explain why both are essential for achieving your goals. Additionally, I'll provide an idea of how to develop and utilize both.

Why is persistence necessary?

Starting a business or brand can be challenging and overwhelming, but with persistence, you can overcome obstacles and achieve success.

When starting a business or brand, it's crucial to remain persistent, especially in the early stages. You're likely to encounter rejection, setbacks, and unexpected challenges. Still, by staying persistent, you can overcome these obstacles and keep moving forward.

Let’s take track running for example. 

Imagine you decided to run track, but they put you on a hurdling track. Now you not only have to run but also jump over obstacles. 

In track hurdling, there are about 10 hurdles spaced out. It may be challenging, but you have to overcome each obstacle each time after you pass the previous one. 

It’s like in business or life; there are obstacles that are going to test you every part of the way. Once you get over one, you have some distance to run before you have to jump again. You can’t just overcome a few hurdles; you have to keep going and get over every hurdle that’s trying to prevent you from reaching your goal. 

When your body tires and your mind contemplates if it’s worth going any further, persistence is what gets you to the end of the race. 

How can I stay consistent?

To maintain consistency, repeatedly performing a task or behavior

over time is essential. You can achieve this by establishing a routine and adopting a growth mindset.

By committing to daily training and continuously learning to improve yourself, you can develop the resilience and endurance necessary to overcome challenges and achieve success. It's important to remember that consistency enables you to push through the good times. At the same time, persistence prepares you to persevere through the difficult times.

If you want to be consistent, then try

• Consistently delivering high-quality products or services to customers

• Maintaining a regular schedule for publishing blog posts or newsletters

• Exercising daily, keeping your body healthy and fit

These are just examples, but you may encounter situations requiring the same level of consistency.

How can I be both consistent and persistent?

Picture yourself as an Olympic runner in training. You prepare to start, line up at the starting line, and then take off running.

Have you ever envisioned yourself competing against Olympians? To reach that level, you must work your way up through consistent training and learning to improve yourself. Showing up every day is the key to achieving this goal.

Showing up is the key to success. Show up consistently.

However, life may present obstacles as a way of building your strength and endurance. In such cases, you need more than just maintaining consistency.

Have you noticed that there aren't usually many people running outside when it's raining? Unless you live near a dedicated runner like David Goggins, likely, you won't see anyone out there. When it's raining outside, most people feel it's safer to stay indoors and train another day.

The point is the weather isn't always going to be right. Life is not always easy or nice. Our days are filled with imperfect situations. The poor climate in our financial lives. Storms and droughts in our relationships and friendships. Feeling under the weather, illness, or fatigue. Distractions flood our lives through social media and tv.

All these hindering obstacles stop so many people in their tracks toward their successful destinations.

Consistency builds you up to get you through those nice sunny days.

Persistence builds you up to get you through those rough dark days.

Build a routine and develop a growth mindset.

Building a routine and developing a growth mindset can create consistency and persistence in your daily life. Here are some proven examples:

• Start small: Break down your goals into small, manageable tasks that you can achieve consistently over time. By focusing on small wins, you can build momentum and develop the resilience and endurance necessary to overcome challenges and achieve success.

• Embrace failure: Failure is a natural part of the learning process, and it's important to embrace it as an opportunity to grow and learn. Reframing failure as a learning experience allows you to develop a growth mindset and become more resilient in the face of obstacles and setbacks.

• Seek feedback: Soliciting feedback from others can help you identify areas for improvement and develop a growth mindset. By seeking feedback from mentors, peers, and customers, you can gain valuable insights and continuously improve your skills and abilities.

• Cultivate a learning mindset: Continuously learning and seeking out new information is essential for developing a growth mindset. By adopting an attitude of curiosity and a willingness to learn, you can expand your knowledge and skills and become more adaptable and resilient in the face of change.

Remember, developing a growth mindset takes time and effort, but the rewards are well worth it. By building a routine and cultivating a growth mindset, you can develop the consistency and persistence necessary to achieve your goals and build a successful business or brand for yourself.

Conclusion

Persistence and consistency are two important qualities that can help you achieve your goals, especially when it comes to starting a business or pursuing your dreams. While persistence is about pushing through obstacles and setbacks, consistency is about putting in the work every day and sticking to a routine.

Just like an Olympic athlete trains consistently every day, you too can develop a routine and mindset that will help you stay persistent and consistent in pursuing your goals. Remember that when you face challenges, persistence will help you persevere through the tough times, while consistency will help you keep moving forward through the good times.

By building a routine and cultivating a growth mindset, you can develop the consistency and persistence necessary to achieve your goals and build a successful business or brand for yourself. So whether you're starting a new business, pursuing a new hobby, or working towards a personal goal, remember to stay persistent and consistent, and success will follow.