Consistency is a great characteristic to build in your life and implement in business to help achieve even greater success. To get started, figure out how you want to be more consistent and practice with small goals to begin with. Over time, as you become more consistent, you will automatically be more motivated and have an improved sense of accountability.
To develop consistency in life and business, you must first make it an important value. When a person is consistent, they follow through on promises, commitments and appointments. Consistency when managing a team generates respect, as staff know where they stand. When it comes to quality of work, trust and providing excellent customer care, consistency is a must with your clients.
KEEP IT REAL
Create realistic, simple and specific goals. Become very clear on what you are aiming to achieve. Once you have identified your goal, break it down into smaller steps to help achieve it and stay on track. Then, create a schedule for yourself. A plan also helps you to see what your total commitments are and from there you can allocate realistic amounts of time for all your tasks. For larger, long-term goals, set small, daily tasks that you can do to work towards this goal.
TAKE A BREAK
Take time off to recharge your batteries. Consistency does not mean you have to be at work nonstop. In fact, it is the reverse. By giving yourself time off, you avoid burnout and productivity improves. In your diary, schedule in time for yourself and refuse to let work or other people’s demands get in the way of your precious downtime. Take care of yourself, as exhaustion and burnout are the enemies of consistency.
BUDDY-UP
Accountability is vital! To be more consistent and disciplined, you have to be honest with yourself, recognising when you don’t reach the standards and goals that you have set. If possible, ask a colleague or friend to be your accountability partner. And maybe you could do the same for them? Check in with one another weekly. If they see you dropping your consistency levels, give them permission to call you out. And vice versa.
BUILD BOUNDARIES
Set boundaries for your commitments and relationships. Boundaries make it easier to implement commitments because you then have a specific limit in which to function. Before taking on new tasks, establish what you are willing and able to do, as well as what you know you realistically cannot do.
POWER IN POSITIVITY
Practice positive thinking and work towards eliminating the negative as much as possible. When you think negatively, you are making yourself less likely to be able to hold on to your new consistent actions. Positive thinking brings inner peace, success, improved relationships, better health, happiness and satisfaction, thus making life run smoother.
When you learn how to think positively, you gain the key to changing and improving your life. It is easier to keep a positive frame of mind when things go well. It’s tougher to do so when in the midst of problems, difficulties or obstacles. In such times you will need more effort, attention and patience. If you learn how to think positively when not under pressure, stress or strain, it will be easier to do so when things are tough.
STAY ON TRACK
Use accountability and motivational tools to keep going even when you don’t feel like it. When you are tired or stressed, it can be easy to let your goals slide and go off track. Therefore, you have to find ways to stay motivated. Remind yourself of your long-term goals. When you are faced with a difficult day, learn to compromise with yourself instead.
CELEBRATE SUCCESS
Reward yourself when you accomplish goals, no matter how small. Give yourself a reward! To help keep yourself motivated, recognise that even small goals deserve to be acknowledged. As a clinic owner or manager, it is part of your job to keep your team motivated. However, you also have to keep yourself highly motivated.
BE KIND TO YOURSELF
New habits take time. It generally takes at least 21 days of doing something for it to become a habit. Don’t tackle too much. Start with small steps and build your way up.
Keep going if you make a mistake. Plan for potential failure, and don’t be too hard on yourself when it happens. Consistency is effort, not perfection. The key to consistency is to pick yourself up and keep going.
What matters is that you keep working towards your personal and clinic goals, and consistency will follow.
LIZ MCKEON
Liz McKeon is a renowned public speaker and her unique gift for storytelling sees her speak at many of the industry’s top events, trade shows and Women in Business events. Her experience and expertise regarding business has resulted in her being a panelist and keynote speaker for some of the beauty industry’s biggest brands who have also requested her presence at global retreats and conferences to deliver a spectrum of business topics, keeping attendees entertained whilst being incredibly inspiring and motivating.