Trusting a Proven Process
How this can add simplicity to any endeavor, without subtracting from effectiveness.
Whatever your goal, there’s trailblazers who have paved the way to success.
So why does success elude many of us despite this? Why is it so difficult to follow the steps laid out before us?
We mistake simplicity for ineffectiveness.
I used to believe that successful people were privy to information not available to the rest of us. This made failure more palatable and normal. If I didn’t succeed, it was because I didn’t have the information the successful people had. I wasn’t successful because I didn’t have the same opportunities the accomplished people had. This flawed thinking followed me through most of my life.
Consistency- this is the real “secret” to success.
The reason I didn’t think twice about consistency’s effectiveness was because it took away all excuses I told myself about success. It couldn’t be as simple as boring consistency, could it? Turns out I was wrong. This is the only thing that mattered in many successful people. The successful people figured out what worked for them and kept on doing it.
Do not confuse “simple” with “easy”.
Being consistent is almost impossible in the distraction-filled world we live in today. Social media feeds pull our attention this way and that way. Because they play on our emotional sides, it’s difficult to pull ourselves away despite realizing how unproductive it is. Our emotional side wins every time. Our rational brains don’t stand a chance.
Consistency implies an ordered list of priorities.
One reasons we can’t be consistent is that it implies that we have our priorities in order. I don’t even know what I want to accomplish. Getting your priorities in order means that other pleasurable activities drop. That’s tough to do. But it’s necessary. Knowing that you can’t accomplish everything is the first step to success.
I’ve written this not to scold readers. Rather, I’m scolding myself. I need to get things in order. Simplicity equals success. Simplicity requires consistency and an ordered list of priorities. The sooner you get to it, the better.
