The incident made me realize, how years of consistent hard work could get overshadowed by not being consistent for once. The person who was once the best performer in the company, got humiliated because he couldn't meet the deadline for the first time. How is that fair? But, when I think more about it, it all makes sense. The reason he was the best performer was because he "consistently" met the deadlines. Now that he didn't, his boss simply questioned his consistency. Once you set the expectation of consistent outcomes, the world will not accept anything less. This happens in all areas of life. Everyday, you go to bed on time and wake up fresh in the morning. For once, you sleep late and you have the worst headache when you wake up.
The idea behind consistency is not just to follow a routine to reach the top, but to stay there. A lot of time I see people try to show they are consistent, in an attempt to get noticed, to stand out. With such an intent, the success is short-lived, as they fail to convert their consistency into a habit. You can't predict when your consistency will come to fruition. But it will one day, that is certain.
I have this habit of joining meetings a few minutes early, making sure I don't miss out on important discussions. Also, as I value time, I make sure other attendees do not waste their time waiting for me. Few years back, when I had then recently joined a company, I was in a virtual meeting with my manager. We both joined the meeting early, waiting for others to join. Out of the blue he spoke, "We both have something in common. We like to join meetings early. I rarely see people doing that". This was just my third meeting with him. Something which I was doing out of habit, as a result of my consistent effort over the years, was noticed when I was least expecting it.
If people notice you being early to the meetings, they will notice when you are late too. Does that mean we are not allowed to break the routine at any cost? Not at all. What matters is understanding why did you miss in first place. Did you get complacent, thinking you have been consistent all this while and it's okay to skip once? If so, being consistent has not turned into a habit for you, and you are still far from achieving your goals.
Think of consistency as a stepping stone for developing habits. Good habits help you grow as a person, resulting in a better form of yourself. With good habits, you keep improving, consistently, and achieve great success.
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Very well articulated and totally relatable!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you writing. Keep writing Sir.
ReplyDeleteWill do!
DeleteGood one dude !! Reading your article reminds me of RA..
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