Consistency is a key factor in an athlete’s success, and it’s also one of the most difficult. To get up early when we don’t feel good, do the workout when we’re sore, or to resist a cookie when we’re on a healthy diet are all ways our discipline is tested.
All it takes to become great is just to become a little better every day.
Our only focus should just be getting 1% better today. Right here, right now, get better at something in the present.
That is really the only thing in our control, since the past is gone, and the future isn’t here yet.
Your ability to be consistent today is actively creating a great future you. String enough “1% betters” together and soon you are many times improved over where you started.
Consistency in our endeavors is the true key to success.
Most athletes fail for the same reason dieters or business people do; they can’t stick with the process.
It gets tough, they get bummed, and they quit.
Here are some tools to help you stay consistent in sports and in life:
Set goals
In order to stay motivated, and to make progress every day, it helps to have concrete goals. Something that is achievable and that we can imagine as a finish line for our hard work.
There are many different goal setting strategies, our favorite is discussed in Belief Lesson 1, ACT Goals, which can be summarized here:
“A” stands for accepting your present state. This means understanding your strengths and weaknesses. Write down where you are now, be as honest as possible.
“C” stands for creating your desired state. Close your eyes and see yourself exactly the way you want to be. Write down where you want to go, be specific.
“T” stands for taking action steps to get you there. Success is a journey of one step at a time, and the longest journey begins with the first step.
Write down how you’ll get where you want to be using the SMART system: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Identify your purpose
This is also called finding your ‘why’. Why is the work worth it? Remind yourself of the purpose of your process. Write it down and have it close so you see it when times get tough.
Remember that purpose is a process, so don’t worry if you don’t always feel like your purpose is being fulfilled. Sometimes it might feel like it’s not, or that you’ve lost track of your original purpose altogether.
That’s okay, take your time and think about what gives you joy, what positively impacts others, what makes you feel fulfilled, and form those things into the larger purpose of your efforts.
Organize your routine
Organization and routines are two key pieces of discipline. When your process is part of your schedule and it’s non-negotiable, it’s easier to be consistent.
Write down a schedule for the day and follow it. Make it a habit to do your tasks on time and don’t negotiate with yourself.
Follow a routine for warming up for practice, doing your arm care, taking your swings, each piece of your process. If you don’t have routines for these things, build them now.
Understand you can’t control everything
There will be ups, and there will be downs. This is true for everything you’ll do in life. Don’t expect it to work every time because it won’t. But, if we’re consistent, we’ll overcome the downs and get back to the ups.
Too many of us want to master things right away and get frustrated when it takes time. Consistency over time requires us to remember that things will be difficult and even move backwards sometimes.
These challenging times can discourage us, or teach us how to be even better. Commit to the process, even when it’s not perfect.
Surround yourself with people who have the same goals
You are who you hang out with, there’s really no getting around it.
If you hang out with lazy friends who have no motivation, you’ll become the same thing. We often like to imagine that we are the exception to this rule, but we aren’t.
To stay consistent we need to have the right influences around us.
This goes for sports and pretty much all elements of life as well. Be around people who are on the path you want to be on. Join groups or communities who are working on things that inspire you.
Choose the right friends and be the right friend for them.
Helpful Quotes:
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Consistency is what counts; you have to be able to do it every day.
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Talent is never enough. With few exceptions, the best players are the hardest workers.