Home
>
Small Business
>
A Key to Success: Be Consistent

A Key to Success: Be Consistent

Over the years I heard the best way to learn something is to to teach it. Well, this week's topic, practicing consistent behavior, is definitely something I need to learn and practice more effectively.

When I made the commitment to refocus my energies on writing again, I had the best intentions. I planned to have a new column for distribution every Tuesday morning. Early morning. Which meant the actual column needed to be written by Monday night.

I spent a great deal of time considering how often to publish this column and I thought a weekly deadline was doable. I wrote the first two columns in an afternoon and actually had three weeks before the next column would be due.

"Plenty of time!" I thought.

The days went by and so did the first week. I promised myself that I'd write this week's column the next week. But each day something came up that required my time and attention. I wish I could tell you it was something that truly had a higher priority than this personal and professional goal I had set for myself, but I can't.

Solitaire and e-mail were the two big time stealers. Yikes! It hurts to admit it to myself, never mind share that truth with you. But there it is.

I was defeating my business and personal goals by wiling away the hours playing solitaire and checking my e-mail.

Monday, the day of my deadline, arrived and I tried to get focused. I had worked the night before and slept until noontime. I had signed up for a teleclass that lasted from 12:30 until 3 p.m. I had another conference call at 4 p.m. I had promised to take my daughter to a musical performance at 7 p.m.

We arrived home at 9 p.m. and while I wanted to get this article written, I was too tired to focus on anything except my bed.

"No problem," I told myself. "I'll write a column tomorrow. I can still get it sent out on Tuesday."

But Tuesday morning I was meeting an associate for a breakfast meeting. I ran a few personal errands and got home around noontime. I needed to tidy up some coaching loose ends and knew that once I finished those I could concentrate on writing.

I did those things, and was feeling better.

"Ah..." I thought. "I'll just play one game of solitaire before getting down to business. This will be my reward for all that I accomplished today."

An hour later my son came home from school.

You know where this is going, don't you? You know that this column didn't get written yesterday. You know that I felt terrible because I let myself down.

Looking back over these past three weeks, I can tell you exactly what my downfall was. It was lack of consistent behavior. Or even more accurately, you could say it was consistent poor behavior.

I made the wrong choices over and over again. And because I did that my goal to have this column written for Monday night didn't get met. I also didn't take advantage of writing columns for the future so that I would always be several columns ahead.

This week look at your life and your goals. What do you want to accomplish? What actions are you taking on a regular basis to support or defeat your chances for success? What can you do to change your focus or establish your priorities so that you can provide the time, energy, and resources to consistently do what you need to do?

Playing solitaire is fun, relaxing, and let's my mind go totally blank. I have vegged out in front of my computer for hours at a time playing this game. Some days that is okay. Some days I want and need to drift away into a mindless activity.

But when I do that too often, when I do that because it is easier than doing what I really want to be doing, I am doing more than wasting a few hours of my time. I am actually undermining my chance for future success. I'm establishing a pattern for dealing with things that may challenge me. I'm telling myself that my desire to write is not important.

Jim Rohn says: "Neglect starts as an infection and spreads, then it erodes your self-value. To stop the spread take action-- discipline yourself to accomplish something."

If you want to achieve something--anything--in your personal or professional life, then do something. And do it consistently.

Copyright 2005. Donna Doyon, Activities Coordinator for Your Virtual Retreat is the author of GLOW: Renew Your Spirit & Release Your Inner Beauty. She offers information, inspiration and encouragement to people who want to say goodbye to self defeating attitudes and behaviors and hello to greater success, healthier relationships and more joyful living. Get inspired at her website: http://www.donnadoyon.com.

whole house cleaning Deerfield ..

In The News:

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Concerned about Google's AI scanning your Gmail? Learn how to disable Gemini features that access your emails, Drive files and Chat messages for privacy.

Google warns Android users about dangerous fake VPN apps hiding malware that steals passwords, banking details and personal data from phones and tablets.

Apple's digital passport feature lets iPhone users breeze through TSA checkpoints this holiday season using Digital ID technology at 250+ airports.

A new phishing scam targets family photos with fake "Cloud Storage Full" alerts. Criminals steal credit card information through fake sites. Learn protection tips.

South Korean scientists create ultra-thin fabric muscles that turn clothes into robotic assistants, lifting 33 pounds while weighing under half an ounce.

Archer Aviation has acquired Hawthorne Airport for $126M to launch an LA air taxi network ahead of the 2028 Olympics, featuring AI-powered eVTOL operations and next-gen aviation tech.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Fake AI apps disguised as "ChatGPT" and "DALL·E" are flooding app stores with dangerous malware that steals data and monitors users without detection.

Fake buyers demand specific vehicle reports from unknown sites to steal credit card information from car sellers, but warning signs can help identify these scams before paying.

Android users can now manage apps across multiple devices more easily with Google Play Store's updated remote uninstall button in the latest update.

NASA's Perseverance rover discovers shiny metallic rock on Mars that could be a meteorite from an ancient asteroid, containing high levels of iron and nickel.

Holiday scams spike during Black Friday and Cyber Monday as criminals exploit your leaked personal data. Learn how to protect yourself from fake stores and phishing.

Commerce Department proposes TP-Link router ban over Chinese security risks. Learn how this potential prohibition could affect your home network and devices.

Hyundai AutoEver America suffered a data breach affecting 2,000 current and former employees, exposing names, Social Security numbers and driver's license information.

Washington court rules automated license plate reader images are public records, even when stored by vendors like Flock Safety, setting precedent for transparency.

A Key to Success: Be Consistent

Small Business