eBusiness Weekly
Arthur Marara
There is no growth or success in the absence of consistency. In fact, all successful people are consistent in what they do. Consistent birth habits. Humans are creatures of habits.
In the last article we discussed about self-sabotaging behaviours that you need to stop. You are what you consistently do.
This is so real.
Even Aristotle once remarked that, “We repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”
Our lives are a result of what we do consistently. These are our habits.
Habits refers to patterns of behaviour that become permanent by virtue of repetition. These habits can either propel us forward, or they can actually pull us down.
In essence the non-progressive habits actually sabotage you in the process. This week we want to look at how you can become more consistent in whatever that you apply your mind to do.
#1. Stop aiming for perfection
Last week we talked about procrastination as part of self-sabotage. What causes us to procrastinate. There are many factors, and these will call for a stand-alone article; Lack of clarity, Lack of confidence, and High perfectionism.
Perfectionism is one of the key reasons why people do not take action. Always bear in mind that the goal is progress, not perfection! Take action daily, those small steps will make a difference.
Action makes all the difference. Certain things will improve as you move. The iPhone had its issues when it was launched, but the team has to perfect it along the way, and the world goes crazy each time a new model is announced.
Progress is key. A perfect plan with no action does not add any value. You can read last week’s article where we talked about over planning.
#2. Small steps is the key
Giant leaps towards goals/projects are amazing but truth be told if you inflate the ideas they become more daunting, and sometimes make the goal even impossible to attain. Small consistent steps are key.
Take that step
It is not enough just to talk about your goals and the tools you need for the journey, at some point you need to take that step in order for you to start experiencing the growth that you want to see in your life.
You really need to be intentional about your growth. The Chinese say, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. For most people, it is the first step that is the most difficult one, but once taken it is a prelude to great things. A lot of people are afraid to take action.
The greatest risk in life is in not taking risks. Praying alone is not going to change things. Take action. You want your grades to improve, start reading; you want your business to improve, revisit your strategies, invest in better and up-to-date knowledge in business.
Do something towards your goals and vision every day. Your life is not going to be changed by a giant step. Your life is changed by taking small consistent steps in the right direction. That is even why Neil Armstrong, the first person to land on the moon, gave us a very profound thought, “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”. There is need for small steps in life. To change your life, you need one small step.
Small steps matter
Small steps are still steps, they do matter. This is perhaps one of the messages that people who want to go into business often do not want to hear.
Start small! Nothing happens unless you start. Start small, and be consistent in the process of growing. Whatever steps you take in the right direction are never a waste; they are an investment into your business, and into your growth.
Nothing just happens
There is no overnight development. You do not change your life in a day, you change it daily. It is the choices and actions that you make daily that contributes to this change. Nothing just happens.
There was a point in time when Econet was not the Econet you know. Unilever, Colgate Palmolive and all these companies that you may know did not just start big but they started.
At one point all these great businesses were start-ups. They started! The secret with all the big organisations is when they start, they remain consistent. They identified their unique purpose and consistently focused on developing themselves to meet the needs of their market.
“Nature, by example, shows us that anything worthwhile comes over time. Anything worthwhile grows methodically, building on a strong foundation. Develop a willingness to carry on despite roadblocks.” (Jaren L. Davis).
Nature provides us with profound lessons if we are willing to be its students. One of the fundamental lessons is that; things do not just happen. This principle in modern times has unfortunately been committed to the dustbins of antiquity, yet the greatest of all frustrations in life ensue from its violation.
The story of Cliff Young
A true story is told about a man called Cliff Young which I found inspiring. Between 1983 and 1991, Australia held an annual ultra-marathon of 544 miles (875 km). World’s most elite racers ran from Sydney to Melbourne in 5 days — these athletes trained specially for this event, which was considered one of the world’s most gruelling races.
One day, in 1983 a 61-year-old Australian potato farmer named Cliff Young entered the race. Cliff wore overalls and work boots. To everyone’s shock, Cliff wasn’t a spectator. He picked up his race number and joined the other runners.
The press and other athletes became curious and questioned Cliff. They told him, “You’re crazy, there’s no way you can finish this race.” To which he replied, “Yes I can. See, I grew up on a farm where we couldn’t afford horses or tractors, and the whole time I was growing up, whenever the storms would roll in, I’d have to go out and round up the sheep.
We had 2 000 sheep on 2 000 acres. Sometimes I would have to run those sheep for two or three days. It took a long time, but I’d always catch them. I believe I can run this race.”
All of the professional athletes knew that it took about 5 days to finish the race. In order to compete, one had to run about 18 hours a day and sleep the remaining 6 hours. The thing is, Cliff Young didn’t know that!
When the morning of the second day came, everyone was in for another surprise. Not only was Cliff still in the race, he had continued jogging all night.
Eventually Cliff was asked about his tactics for the rest of the race. To everyone’s disbelief, he claimed he would run straight through to the finish without sleeping. He was able to finish the race ahead of everyone else.
To his surprise he was told that he had won a monetary prize, which he was not even aware of. He had never entered the race for the money. Consequently, he shared the money with the rest of the athletes.
Cliff’s story illustrates the power of consistency. Speed is not everything consistency is. You can arrive at your destination should you remain consistent at what you are focusing on.
Even the small steps do count.
To be continued…
Join me on Star FM on Wednesdays (09:40am-10:00am) for some moments of inspiration on the Breeze with V Candy.
Arthur Marara is a corporate law attorney, keynote speaker, corporate and personal branding speaker commanding the stage with his delightful humour, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. He is a financial wellness expert and is passionate about addressing the issues of wellness, strategy and personal and professional development. Arthur is the author of “Toys for Adults” a thought provoking book on entrepreneurship, and “No one is Coming” a book that seeks to equip leaders to take charge. Send your feedback to [email protected] or Visit his website www.arthurmarara.com or contact him on WhatsApp: wa.me//263780055152 or call +263772467255
