One of the open secrets to achieve your goal

When we talk about personal development, people often focus on instant gratification. They talk about motivation (which charges you up to take action and create results), mindfulness (a new term in a new world now), setting goals (not yearly goals, but short-term goals), managing time (because so many things pile up and everything becomes urgent and important), stress management (do I need to say more about this?), communication skills, and so on.

Consistency and self-discipline are two keywords that have stuck in my mind. Today, I want to share more about these two words.

Consistency

Consistency is the state of being consistent, which means being constant or unchanging. It is the quality of being firm and regular in opinion, behaviour, or performance. It is also the state of being free from contradiction or variation. Consistency is often seen as a virtue, as it can be seen as a sign of reliability and trustworthiness. It can also be seen as a sign of strength and character. Consistency can be important in many areas of life, such as in relationships, work, and education. For example, in relationships, consistency is important for building trust and intimacy. In work, consistency is important for being reliable and meeting deadlines. In education, consistency is important for learning and success.

When is the last time you were consistently thinking, feeling, or doing something? Exercise? Eating healthy? Meditating? Associating with positive people? Reading books?

Here is a story about me that illustrates the importance of consistency. One day, I was taking my kids to school. As I was driving, I was mumbling in Mandarin to myself, "Baba is very handsome." To give you some context, I often tease my kids by asking them, "Who is more handsome, you or me?" They usually reply, "Me!"

My younger son asked me, "Baba, why do you keep repeating that you are handsome?" I just laughed and said, "Because I am!" Both of them laughed.

Usually, my younger son asks or says something out of the ordinary at the most unexpected moments. So he asked, "Are you going to be handsome if you keep telling yourself that you are handsome?"

I replied with all the NLP knowledge and coaching skills for adults that I have, "Do you think baba is not handsome?"

The story continued for another 5 minutes (that's how long it takes me to drive them to school), but I just want to make a quick summary. By doing something (good or not good) consistently (for a looooooooooong) period of time, I am pretty sure that there will be some result at the end. Some of you who are smarter will relate this to the consistency of ants or bees, who repetitively do something with consistency. But think about it this way: If you are doing something repetitively and yet to get any results, and you are still doing it, I will assume that you are not thinking strategically to make sure of your resources. If you have a different opinion, please share it with me in the comments below.

Self-discipline

Self-discipline is an amazing skill that anyone can build. It is the ability to control our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in order to achieve our goals. It's what allows us to do the things that we know are important, even when we don't feel like it. This is a bit contradicting with one of the notes I shared earlier regarding passion and ability.

Anyway, this word stuck in my mind when people talk about Keanu Reeves. Self-discipline is a key attribute that Keanu Reeves has demonstrated throughout his career. He is known for being professional and reliable, and he always puts in the hard work necessary to succeed. This is evident in his acting, which is always top-notch, as well as his dedication to his charitable causes. Reeves is a role model for many people, and his self-discipline is one of the qualities that makes him so admirable.

When was the last time you did something consistently and with high self-discipline for a long period of time, until today?

Conclusion

In conclusion, consistency and self-discipline are two important qualities that can help us achieve our goals. By consistently doing something, even if it is small, we can eventually see results. Self-discipline is the ability to control our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in order to achieve our goals. It is what allows us to do the things that we know are important, even when we don't feel like it.

If you want to achieve your goals, it is important to develop consistency and self-discipline. Start by setting small goals that you can consistently work towards. As you achieve these small goals, you will build up your self-discipline and be able to set even bigger goals.