Do you hear people talk about throwing out the sequential daily steps of goal achievement and instead leaping directly to their accomplishments? Do you see shining examples of people who start at the bottom only to fly to the top by super-charging their focus? There’s a lot being written about how to achieve your goals. Are you hearing differing advice regarding how to achieve your goals? Do you want to know what “does it take to accomplish your goals?”
It depends. And, it depends on a number of factors — and it certainly depends on your time, energy, personality, life circumstances, motivational drive and the ultimate outcome of the goal. However, there is one ultimate secret to accomplishing your goals. It’s Consistency. It doesn’t matter if you accomplish steps everyday, or if you set your focus and then spend unlimited time working to propel your way quickly to your goals. The secret ingredient to accomplishing your goals is consistency. You must be willing to stay constant. You must be willing to stay the course in a steady and even manner until you arrive at your goals. Even after you achieve your goals, you must continue following your chosen path.
This YouTube video is a great example of consistency and meeting goals. It’s a photo of my sister and her five-year old mare. When my sister first got this little filly, she would bite, kick, buck and generally be intermittently nasty. Now, two years later, my sister is hugging her and laying on her while she naps. What a delight the little girl is now and she follows my sister like a puppy. My sister was excited and nervous when she first got her, and I gently reminded her that her biggest asset was her common sense and her consistency. Her goal of having a great and loving horse wasn’t just going to happen overnight. It happened with daily doses of love, dedication and consistency. I am so proud of her and her accomplishments.
Some of you will think “I know about a horse trainer that could accomplish the same thing in a year or six months.” And, yes, we know that. But my sister is not a horse trainer, she has a full-time professional position, a family, close friends and many other interests. She is enjoying the progression of working with her horse and moving towards her goals. She is living her life fully in a multiple of ways — not focusing only on one interest.
Malcolm Gladwell, author of a book titled Outliers: The Story of Success discusses “outliers.” These are the high achievers, the best, the brightest, and the most successful people that we admire. Gladwell has some interesting theories and research on what it takes to become an “overnight” success–an expert in your field. That’s approximately 10,000 hours.
It’s the same with your business goals. Where/when are your 10,000 hours? You need to decide if you want to only accomplish a very specific goal at an expertise level or if you are balancing priorities in your life and what level of success you’d like to achieve. How many hours will that take you and how will you ever invest that much time? One step at a time; a little every day. Make consistency your new mantra!
