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The Consistency Crucible

In science, consistency is the way in which a substance holds together, its thickness.
In life, consistency is behaving or performing in the same way.

In science, a crucible is a container in which materials are heated to a very high temperature. 
In life, a crucible is a very significant, or difficult, challenge, test, or trial.

Since we’re living lives, not science experiments, we’ll focus on the life side of things.

Awareness of the difficulty in being consistent is not a secret. We don’t need to look any further than the dismal follow through on New Year’s resolutions to recognize the challenge of maintaining the simplest of behaviors for more than a week. We set reminders, lineup accountability partners, and create benchmarks to reward ourselves all in an effort to simply establish a hint of consistency.

Likewise, awareness of the value and power in being consistent is not a secret. Excellence in any field is always traced back to performing a few simple actions day after day. As alluring as talent is, as much as it draws us to it, talent always fails to deliver at some point. Unfortunately, we aren’t privy to that timetable. 

Those that find excellence all start with the same basic action - they just keep showing up.

Why Should We Care?
However, showing up is simply the entry price of consistency. It’s required, but never enough.
Life will flush out what is required. It is the crucible of consistency.

Life is going to test and challenge our commitment to consistency dozens of times each day. Busy schedules, uncontrollable events, and obligations to others will undoubtedly create roadblocks in our ability to stay consistent. ‘Ability’ isn’t the right word. ‘Desire’ is probably a better choice. There will be people to blame, justifications to claim, and responsibility to avoid which all will hamper our desire to remain consistent.

Though it seems more complex, consistency is nothing more than a choice we make from one moment to another. There are, however, a lot of those choices to make every single day.  Most of the time it’s the choice to disregard an excuse - maybe a perfectly reasonable, valid excuse that still must be ignored. Of course, some choices are more difficult to make than others, but if consistency is going to continue, only one choice is acceptable.

Adversity is the heat that distills our consistency to character and marks our path between excellence and mediocrity. Handled well consistently well, adversity convicts, emboldens, and elevates our life. It is the shortcut many are seeking but only a few are willing to accept.

Consistency is the running mate of desire. What we truly want, we are willing to consistently work towards. When we are lukewarm our consistency will be the first thing we compromise. 

REAL TALK - Action Steps
The ability to stay consistent is a superpower. It demonstrates an ability to prioritize a previous commitment over a current, often more appealing, option. Here are a few foundational pieces that will help drive consistency in all aspects of your life.

• Know Who You Are 
  
  • Your core values matter and you’re currently living by them whether you realize it or not. Each decision you make is a peak into what you believe. It’s not random. It’s not a whim. Your choices reflect your beliefs. Think about that the next time your excuse seems valid. When you gain clarity about who you are, consistency will become your path to becoming that.
    

• Know What You Want
  
  • When your purpose is strong enough, obstacles become stepping stones. We go from seeing reasons something can’t happen to reasons it will happen. Afterall, we always see what we are looking for. It also helps that we know where we’re going. When we have a destination set, our steps are mapped out. It’s impossible to be consistent without a clear vision of where you want to go.
    

• Know What It Takes
  
  • Now, the great separator … you have to show up AND work. Hard. Everyday. Stop looking for shortcuts and an easier way. There isn’t one - and if, by some chance there is, it won’t provide the same fruit as the harder way. Acceptance of what is required is a major aspect of consistency. Stop questioning it. Stop making excuses. Just keep swinging.
    

Excellence is a funny process. I don’t know everything about it, but from my experience it seems like it looks a lot like this: Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop … poof - excellence. Give or take a few chops.

Checkout Surrender the Outcome on Amazon and order The Score That Matters with Ryan Hawk & Brook Cupps. The latest blog from Blue Collar Grit can be found here!