Copy Right -Understanding the art of learning from others -Part 9

Consider Consistency.

Many people have desires and expectations that never get fulfilled. They have hopes and dreams that do not come to fruition. Some even criticise or vilify others that have better results or those that have achieved what they are still struggling to attain. They try to reach their goals like some others, but it does not work, and they never do.

A lot of people have become what they are today because of what they have done. There could be so many other factors, but chief among them is because of what they have done consistently. It is not what they have done a few times, but what they continued doing.

Many leaders have gained the trust of their followers over the years. They must have shown traits, attributes or character to earn that trust. If they discontinue, trust will be lost. The achievement is the effect of doing what they believe, and doing so consistently. The confidence of the followers, won by honesty, discipline, integrity, fairness, justice and or dedication, could be lost by acts of dishonesty or a deviation from the values they once upheld.

It is often the case that some forget what made them successful and deviate from such values because of their new status and achievements. They are likely to see their position or achievement lost to someone else that has adopted those values. Many may see such deviations and follow suit but never realise that it leads to a different destination. It is vital to understand that what keeps achievements or success is doing what you need to do consistently.

What often makes people is not what they do some of the time, but what they do all the time. It is what they believe in, so much so that they choose to do it even when it is not convenient.

An American professional boxer, M. Ali, was once asked, ‘How many sit-ups do you do per day?’ He responded ‘I do not count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they are the only ones that count.’ He was committed to doing exercises daily far beyond comfort until it hurts and then begins to count. If you think of athletes, there will be times they will feel tired, happy, sad, busy, or frustrated. It happens to everyone, but there is a decision to keep on doing it daily regardless of the circumstance because they believe in it and that it is needed to achieve their goal.

It is often easier to achieve any goal than to keep it. Those that maintain that achievement have something in common; it is consistency. It is the power that helps you do what you believe in always even when it hurts. You may not feel like doing those things sometimes, or it could be inconvenient, but you decide to deny yourself the pleasure, compliment, temporary gain, so that you can do what you need to do. That is consistency. Keep to it at all times. That is what keeps the achievement.

Many organisations and businesses have seen significant growth by producing quality products and providing excellent customer service consistently. If they deviate from those things that have attracted the trust and loyalty of their customers, the trust and loyalty will diminish. The sales may drop, employees may lose their jobs, competitors may take over their customers, and the business may fold up. All this could happen because they refused to continue doing what they once believed. That is why they invest so much in training to keep the values constant in everyone that would be part of the organisation.

John Maxwell once said: ‘Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.’ If you work hard and keep at it, it will lead to achievements. It is possible for a person with lower potentials but with consistency to do better than one with many with inconsistent attitude.

There was a story of the Hare and the Tortoise. They both participated in a race. The hare was known for speed, while the tortoise for sluggishness. The tortoise decided to participate even though it had no chance of winning but decided to move as fast as it could consistently. The hare, on the other hand, even though he could win, decided to run ahead of the tortoise and waited to rest when it could not see the tortoise as it was far behind. The hare slept off in the process, and the sluggish tortoise moved past and won the race. Many people that are able and mighty lose out in this same manner because of inconsistent attitude. The tortoise may not always win, in such competitions that match varying strengths, but it could complete the goal set with consistency in its own time.

Do you have people you love and desire to emulate? Find out what their routine looks like; that may be the clue to what you need to start doing immediately and consistently.

The Chinese bamboo tree has an interesting pattern of growth. It is just like any other plant that needs water in addition to sunshine and fertile soil on which it grows. In the first four years of consistently nurturing and caring for the plant, there is no visible sign of growth. The plant grows above the soil in the fifth year, to a height of ninety feet in six weeks. The plant was growing daily by the consistent watering and nurturing, but it was growing roots that will support its future growth. It was unseen, but if the farmer did not continue watering, the plant would die.

I found the same to be true of people. Many people we see have invested so much consistently for years, growing a strong foundation to support greatness but many that copy cannot see the four years of consistent efforts, they only see the six weeks of remarkable growth.

It is crucial to commit to consistency because every success that will last must have the same commitment. There are many great stories of people that have been consistent in honesty, dedication, justice, fairness, integrity, obedience, love, morality, even in periods of hard times, failures, delays, disappointments, ridicules, ingratitudes, pains, betrayals and so on. Keep on doing what you need to do. You will soon see your bamboo tree emerge.

It is lovely to dream big but do not stop at a desire to be like others, start by a desire to do what they have done consistently and be willing to do the same. If you do what makes for greatness as part of your routine, even if you do not desire it, you cannot help it because you have committed to a process that takes you to a great destination. You will wake up to discover that you are there.

To be continued next week, don’t miss it.

I hope you have found this post valuable, please leave a comment below and share with others. Send in your questions or contributions as well if you have any, I will be glad to hear from you.

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1 thought on “Copy Right -Understanding the art of learning from others -Part 9”

Chara July 12, 2021

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