“I may walk slow, but I never walk backwards.” Abraham Lincoln
Most of us dream of living principled lives where we achieve our dreams one step at a time. There is much to be said for the power of consistently moving in the direction you are called to walk. Yet most of us feel as though we are not moving in one consistent direction day to day. We often can’t even keep goals and momentum for more than a few days.
What keeps people from being consistent?
1. Second guessing. Most people decide slow and change fast. There is wisdom in making up your mind and being slow to change it as well. Be thoughtful and decisive when you decide the direction of your life, business and goals, but don’t be so quick to second guess yourself when the first bump in the road comes.
2. Voting too often. Happy people know when to get consensus, and when to not to take a vote. Politicians come off as unprincipled if they take polls to tell them what to think or how to vote. It’s especially loathsome on moral issues. Yet many people do that in their own life without thinking twice. Do you think I should do this? Do you think I should do that? is this cool or is that cool? Often times we are asking people’s opinion when we should be just going about our business. We are so trained to ask people what they think that some are shaping their lives through opinion polls.
3. Living on feelings. So many people quit because they aren’t feeling it anymore. Feelings can be helpful as an indicator of mood, but are poor supervisors. Once you’ve made that important decision, you will have feelings of doubt, and insecurity. Move on. Know that feelings are often wrong.
There must be many more reasons why people are inconsistent. Share your ideas with me. What are some of your hurdles to consistency?
David Curry
