Why Consistency is So Important

On Sunday night I had a sick feeling in my stomach.

For the first time since I started my blog in December 2010 I did not have a post scheduled to go out on monday morning. The last few weeks had run away with me, and I simply hadn’t disciplined myself to sit down and write something.

I had nothing.

But then I remembered something that made me smile:

When I made the decision to start this blog, I committed myself to writing at least one post a week. At the time I wasn’t at all convinced I would stick to it, but now looking back, I realise I have! And what’s more, I realised that because my posts are usually between four hundred and six hundred words, and this is my ninetieth post to date, I have in fact written about fifty thousand words for this blog – the equivalent of a two hundred page book!

Now, if you’d told me a year ago that I would be able to write a book in my “spare time”, on top of work, studies, family, and everything else, I would have laughed at you. And that’s when it hit me:

Success is not a single act, but rather a daily habit. Whether you want to write a book, get fit, or lose weight, the key is consistency.

So here are 10 random thoughts I had about consistency:

1. Consistency creates momentum.
2. Consistency is a habit that can be practiced and learnt.
3. Consistency breeds credibility.
4. The person who takes action every single day toward the attainment of their goal will always triumph over those who do it every once in a while. Always.
5. Many think consistency is purely a matter of willpower, and that people who are consistent have some kind of special ability to endure. Not true.
6. Surprisingly, doing something every day or nearly every day is actually far easier to sustain than doing it once in awhile.
7. Motivation is not enough. A person waiting for inspiration limits achievement to times when conditions are desirable. And conditions are rarely always desirable. 
8. Creating healthy rituals will take you further than desires and passions.
9. Consistency will induce failure at some stage, which in turn provides valuable feedback, which ultimately leads to better results.
10. Consistency is more about sustainability than it is about speed.

What are your thoughts on consistency? What has helped you to become more consistent?