There is nothing more vital to growing a business than consistency. It’s the number one contributor to success. This is not groundbreaking new knowledge, it’s the way it’s always been. So if it’s common sense that consistency is the key to success, why is it so hard to commit to being consistent?
The truth is, 80% of the time you are not going to feel motivated. And if you’re only putting in the work 20% of the time when you’re motivated, then you’re only going to see 20% of your potential results. Businesses are built on the 80%. When you show up without feeling like it, you’re generating results through consistency.
The biggest falsehood that entrepreneurs tell themselves is that tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow is not the day! Tomorrow you’re going to have the same amount of motivation you have today. If you plan to magically conjure up energy and motivation tomorrow, then you’re in for a bad surprise. When tomorrow comes, your business will be just as important to you as it is today. Face this reality, move through the discomfort, and start today.
We all have stories we tell ourselves that justify our inconsistency. One might be that other people are tired of the same thing, or you don’t have any ideas of how to get word out there, or you’ve already asked everyone, and no one is interested. Our brains have gathered proof of why these stories are factual, but you need to learn to pick them apart and find their faults. Are other people really tired of seeing the same thing, or are you tired of the same thing? Do you lack ideas, or are you just being too picky with the ideas that you have? Is it true that you asked everyone, or have you just asked everyone in your comfort zone?
We’ve talked about the ‘why’ of your business before: the big reason that’s the fuel of your goals regarding your business. Most of the time the why is long term, but we also need a daily why. Why is it important that you do the work on this specific day? Building a business is all about delayed gratification, so you might need to dig a little deeper to find a daily why. Maybe it’s to prove that you’re taking yourself seriously and your word means something. Your daily why will not magically give you motivation on the days when you don’t feel like it, but it will support your determination to do the required work anyway.