The key to achieving success is consistent action. Or so says the modern truism.
Or is it simply an updated version of “Practice makes perfect?”
As we all know, practice doesn’t really make perfect. For one, perfection is impossible. Not to mention that practicing the wrong thing will inevitably lead you further from perfection, not closer.
The same thing can be said for “consistency.”
Good vs Bad Habits
Consistency is often pointed to as a key to developing good habits… But what is a habit if not for a consistent action that you take, almost without thought. Yes, when consciously forming a new habit, consistency is important in establishing that habit.
But the key to that sentence is “consciously,” not “consistency.”
Many habits, especially bad ones, are formed unconsciously and are very consistent.
Adding purpose to the equation
Being purposeful about what you are doing is more important than consistency for consistency’s sake. For example, a morning habit of scrolling the news feed likely isn’t getting you closer to your goals if you’re distracted by random clickbait lists and social media.
On the other hand, if your routine is full of purposeful actions that create the right mindset for the day, which may include some entertaining listicles, then consistently performing these actions is quite important.
This begs the question, “How do you know which is which?”
The real key to success
Knowing the difference between actions that are helpful and unconscious bad habits does require some trial and error, and more crucially, some self-reflection.
Learning happens after the fact
Experiences don’t teach you anything. Reflecting on your experiences is what allows you to encode those memories and apply them for future use.
Repetition will help with physical skills, but any kind of application of cognitive or mental skills requires you to look back on your experience and ask yourself how it went.
“What did I do well?”
“What did I do poorly?”
More importantly, when it comes to achieving your goals, “What did I do that brought me closer to (or further from) success?”
This applies to just about anything
It almost doesn’t matter what the situation is: a competition debrief for an athlete, examining your morning routine, or looking back on your performance at work.
However you define success for any situation, you can reflect on your performance to determine if you’ve brought yourself closer, or further from your goal.
If adjustments are needed, consistency – i.e. doing the same thing again – is actually just about the worst option.
What you’re really looking for is purposeful improvement.
Adding a self-reflection habit
If there’s one habit you should consistently execute, it’s a habit of self-reflection.
As a coach, I constantly reflect on my performance:
- Did I ask the right questions?
- Did I adapt my approach to the individual or context?
- Was my advice sound?
- Was I too quick to offer advice?
In contrast, I haven’t always taken that approach to other areas of my life. Upon reflection, this is for two reasons.
First, it’s my job to be a coach and a writer. I need to be deliberate in my execution, and aware of shortcomings so I can improve at my craft.
Second, my clients or athletes depend on me as a coach. This outside accountability forces me to ensure that I always bring my best.
On the other hand, hobbies, personal projects and even family relationships aren’t always handled with such care. Not a whole lot of people will look back at a family dinner and think, “Did I really make the most of that time?”
But there’s no reason you can’t
A five-minute exercise
Self-reflection doesn’t have to be an hours-long activity. Spending five minutes asking yourself the right questions will be enough to start seeing improvement. So long as you are honest with yourself about the answers.
You’ll want to spend some time thinking of questions that are specific to your needs as well as your definition of success, but here are a few questions I will ask in almost any debrief situation:
- What did I do that brought me closer to my goal?
- What could I have done better?
- Was I in the best possible mindset beforehand?
- What actions can I take now, to improve my performance next time?
You’ll be tempted to do this immediately. Don’t.
Give yourself some time so that the emotions about the result have faded and you can be objective about your execution.
Consistency in this regard is the real key to success, so that you can be purposeful in the actions that will get you there.
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