In today’s world, we have become expectant of instant gratification. We live in a ‘microwave effect’ society — we want it fast and we want it now! If there is something you are looking to change in your life, be patient and understand that it is going to take time. Whether it is developing a better mindset, expanding your sphere of influence, creating better relationships with your kids, or reaching your goal weight; change isn’t easy, it takes time.
As a leader and entrepreneur, it is important to understand the contrast between consistency and intensity. Adopt a “consistency mindset”, rather than an “intensity mindset”. By doing so, you will not only begin to see long term results come to fruition, but you will also begin to inspire those around you, or on your team, to adopt a similar mindset.
To help you better understand the difference between consistency and intensity, we have listed a breakdown of the benefits and drawbacks below.
Consistency
Consistency is proven to result in long term, lasting change. Implementing consistent habits into your daily routines is simplistic, as small things can be done every single day. They will build over time; the compound effect. Create these habits to be in line with your values and goals. Think about it like building a muscle. Building a muscle takes time. You cannot go to the gym for five hours, one day a week and expect to get #JACKED. Rather, for the muscle to build properly, you must commit to exercising on a consistent basis.
Unfortunately, since the results of consistency are not instantaneous, it is harder to measure. Furthermore, because there are no immediate (microwave) results, most people tend to become impatient and break these consistent habits. This is why you must fully understand the importance of consistency.
Intensity
There is a sense of pride, and sometimes relief, that comes with intensity. Some may look at it as: instant gratification. Intensity is easy to measure, and that is why we like it — do something and immediately see results.
Intensity can feel really powerful, but can also be misleading. In a moment of intensity you feel a rush of self-fulfilling feelings about what you achieved, when in fact it is most likely just a facade of success. The short term energy that you experience in a moment of intensity, is not bound to make a difference long term. Think back to the example of building a muscle. After five hours in the gym, you may be exhausted and your muscles will feel fatigued. You cannot, however, expect to wake up the next morning with huge biceps.
Take a moment and analyze some of your goals, big or small. What consistent habits are you creating?
COACH’S TIP
As we are just putting the finishing touches on our 2019 Business Plans, let’s be certain that we practice what Gary Keller calls “aggressive patience”. Be aggressive in your business planning – set audacious goals, create systems to support to goals, and be persistent in your implementation. However, you must also be patient in allowing that plan to come to fruition. If you’ve put in the time and analysis to build a plan, trust in it. Remember, typically just on the other side of massive boredom is massive success…unfortunately, too often our impatience prompts us to abandon ship just before the magic occurs!