Consistency Eventually Leads to Breakthroughs!

Sweat the Small Stuff

By Chris "SparkGuy" Downie, SparkPeople Founder & CEO

Consistency, so important, it is something our society often overlooks. People are so focused on wanting things now that they aren't willing to spend the time consistently doing small things over time. This attitude results in loads of stress and lost opportunities.

Here's how you can reap the benefits of consistently doing small things:

Pick small goals that can be somewhat easily integrated into your normal daily schedule. Examples include:

- 10 minute workout in the morning
- Taking fruits and vegetables to work (packs of raisins, an apple, or a bag of carrots)
- Giving yourself small breaks throughout the day to relax or meditate
- Working on a new skill for a certain amount of time each week

Set specific goals based on these, then write down the goals and track them. Doing these small goals consistently will build a good foundation - a springboard for future success.

Once you do these steps, consistently setting and achieving goals becomes an upward cycle. As you gain momentum, you will want to continue achieving new goals. One thing to watch out for is losing focus on the goals that built your springboard, which can cause the whole thing to fall apart. Those goals should become good habits.

Consistently building new habits can lead to personal breakthroughs that wouldn't have otherwise happened.

Here's a personal example: I've been really working on my fitness consistency over the past 6 months. I've also set a goal to improve my tennis strokes. Last night I played tennis with a friend in 90+ degree heat and lost the set we played (it wasn't even that close). Afterwards, we continued to hit for another 20 minutes or so. Instead of being down mentally and exhausted physically from the heat, I still had a bounce in my step from the improved fitness. Also, I concentrated on improving my strokes and wanted to get better. After about 10 minutes, I had a breakthrough in the development of my strokes and my friend immediately noticed I was hitting much better. Now, I'm even more excited about getting out and playing more. If it hadn't been for consistently achieving smaller goals, I probably wouldn't have had this breakthrough.

These same principles can work for you in all areas of your personal and professional life. Consistency is the key!