The secret ingredient for achieving results.

Image by Nathan Roberts.

Hello and Happy New Year! 

Let me first start by saying thank you! Thank you for trusting me with your inbox, as you join me on my writing journey. I will try my best to honor your trust by producing high-quality articles for you to enjoy.

While I had something else planned for this issue I have decided to postpone it in place of this week's subject. Which seems to be more of what I need a helpful reminder of. 

The secret ingredient, which will lead to success in almost anything that you set your mind to is consistency.

What drives more people's success is not that they are more passionate or have greater ideas or are more innately skilled in their craft. The truth is that what makes people more successful than others is that they are more consistent in the pursuit of their goals. 

As we approach the new year most of us will have personal goals. We may want to start exercising on a more regular basis or eat healthier. We want to spend more time talking with loved ones, change careers or read more. In my case write more. These changes come with a lot of challenges. If we want to see results we have to be consistent in our approach as we work towards our goals. It is easier said than done. 

Working through the pain

When we first start trying to change our habits for the better we go through a painful period while we are adjusting. The thing about repetition and habits is that they are hard to break. This is a good and bad thing. It is hard to form new habits, many times they conflict with our already existing habits which we do not want to give up. The good side of this is that once we form new good habits and have a system in place to sustain these routines they become just as hard to break. Forming good habits in pursuit of your goals will lead to prolonged success. So during this first painful period, it is important to remember that it will get easier. With a fully formed habit, it will become like second nature. The things you once thought were incredibly difficult or maybe even impossible will come naturally. 

Managing distractions

Distractions are just that. Take note of how you spend your time. Time is your greatest asset and if you are spending too much of it on things that do not further your goals, you will find it difficult to reach them. If you are like me, looking at my phone can be a big distraction. Monitor your screen time to see exactly how much of your time you are spending on what apps. You may be surprised by the results. If you are spending too much time on certain apps (for me it was Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) try putting a daily time limit on them. If you find that you are still spending too much time on them consider removing them from your phone. You can still access them on the computer but you will find you may not miss them as much as you think and you will give yourself the gift or more time.

Developing systems for good habits

Forming good habits to achieve success is no easy task. So the more we can do to help us stick to our good routines the better. One thing you can do to help you stick to your routine is to develop a system that promotes that routine. Set reminders and organize your schedule to accommodate your routine. Reward yourself when you finish your task for the day or when you make good choices. Automate anything you can. The easiest way to save money is to have it automatically deducted from your paycheck and deposited into your savings. Think about other areas in your life that could be automated, this can take a lot of the pressure off of you and help to build better habits.

Enjoying the process 

It is important for you to be at peace and happy with where you are currently. It may sound counterintuitive to be content with where you are while working to become better, but the truth is that seeing results takes time. Consistent behavior over time equals results. Finding joy in the process and not just the results will lead you to be more fulfilled and happy. You will be less likely to get discouraged, which will lead to you sticking with your routine, leading you to achieve your goals.

Creating healthy feedback loops

Feedback loops occur in numerous ways in our lives every day. It is important to identify them and change the ones that are affecting us in negative ways to work for us in positive ways. Here’s an example. You are feeling tired in the afternoon so you have coffee to keep you going. Then you can’t sleep well that night because of the caffeine, so you are tired again the next day. For this example getting a healthy night's sleep could make you less tired for the next day, so you wouldn't need that afternoon coffee. If you repeated this you would change the unhealthy feedback loop into a healthy one. The more healthy feedback loops in your life the easier it will be to be consistent with your routine. 

Don't feel like you need to be good right away

As I mentioned progress takes time. A lot of time. Don’t feel like you need to be perfect right away. Perfection is impossible. Progress will come with consistency. No one starts as an expert. But over time with consistent progress, you will achieve your goals.

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Thanks for reading!

Nathan