You want to make a change. You've been telling yourself for years that you need to hit the gym, eat healthier or even start that side hustle you've been dreaming about. One day, you're feeling motivated and start making a dent in the things you want to do. Maybe you clean out your closet, tossing out clothes from the early aughts, fantasizing that your soon-to-be organized space will be featured on HGTV. Then, a week later (or possibly hours), that motivation fades. Suddenly, you're back to your old self, but this time with a floor covered in Juicy Couture and Hollister. You may have to wait another few days, months or even years until motivation strikes again.
If you are always waiting to be motivated before you start on anything, you'll find yourself not progressing as far as you'd like. Why? Because motivation is unreliable. The real key to achieving success is consistency. Here's how:
1. Motivation is fleeting, consistency is reliable
Motivation hits when you're feeling inspired - like when you watch a Ted Talk, read a self-help book or scroll past a motivational quote. But it doesn't last. Some days, you're fired up and ready to take on the world. Other days, you just ... can't. If you rely only on motivation, you'll be stuck in a start-stop-cycle with inconsistent progress.
Consistency doesn't rely on how you feel. It's about showing up and doing the work, whether you're in the mood or not. Over time, consistency becomes a habit, and that habit is what drives long-term success.
2. Small efforts add up
My favorite quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is, "You don't have to see the entire staircase; you just have to take the first step."
That's exactly what consistency is - it's not about giant, overnight transformations; it's about small, steady actions. Maybe it doesn't feel like much when you hit the gym for 10 minutes or work on your side project for 5 minutes a day, but trust me, those tiny steps add up.
When you lean on consistency, you start to build momentum. Over time, the small efforts compound, and before you know it, you've climbed way higher than you thought possible.
3. Consistency = discipline = success
Discipline is like a muscle - you strengthen it every time you push through those hard moments when thinking, "I'll start tomorrow." And guess what? Over time, it becomes easier to follow through because consistency makes action a habit, not a choice. And when something is a habit, you no longer have to talk yourself into it.
Big goals don't need bursts of motivation to come to life. They need you to show up - day after day, step by step. That's how real, lasting change happens. So when you're not feeling it, keep going. Remember, no one can be 100 percent every day and that's OK. Stick with it, even if just a little. Because, in the end, consistency always wins. And so will you.
- Gabriela Garcia of Hinsdale is a contributing columnist. Readers can email her at [email protected].
