Consistency Isn't the Issue

Consistency isn't the issue. Consistency alone is not a strategy. Today we're talking about how to use consistency to get results, but also how to get results despite inconsistencies.

It's not the consistency that you do something; it's the quality. 

Instagram, morning routines, working out, there are many areas of life that people swear by consistency, and while I know some people love a good routine and want the consistency, it's just not the only way. 

People insist that consistency is the key, but I'd like to argue something different. What if it wasn't the consistency but the permissions they gave themselves. The fact that they trusted themselves and that they believed in themselves.

I've heard people say over and over consistency is the key to success, but just as easily as they believed that to be true, I can believe it to be false. 

It's not so much the thing that makes them successful; it's the belief that it is what makes them successful. They think, "Ok, I've finally been showing up consistently; now success can come."

And I know so many people who have heard all the experts say that consistency is essential, so you've done whatever they said consistently and not gotten results. Let's use Instagram as an example. 

Most experts tell you to post all the time. Most tell you to post everyday. And while there's real value in posting every single day, there was a time in which I did this; I did what everyone said; I posted meaningful, engaging posts every day with hashtags and all the things. I posted and posted and posted, and I didn't grow. I didn't get the results that everyone said that I would. And, I hated posting on Instagram. I wasn't successful at it because I didn't like doing it. It probably showed. 

And since I have started posting once a week, sometimes less, sometimes more, I've grown much more rapidly than when I was miserable and posting every day. Because I no longer believe the lie that I have to post every day to be successful. And because I do it with joy and good intent. You'll prob notice that the people with a lot of followers are also the ones that love Instagram. They're the ones that post every day because they love it, and it doesn't feel like a chore. It's the way I feel about Pinterest. And so I'm successful at Pinterest.

It's not actually the consistency at which you do something. It's the love and intent. That's why people who love what they do feel like they never work a day in their life. It was never consistency.

Consistency can be significant; I understand that value that people place with consistency, and yes, I know it helps with algorithms and stuff. Still, consistency alone is not a strategy. 

Consistency is a PART of a strategy that people adapt and then wonder why it doesn't work for them. It's because it wasn't the consistency. It was the strategy that included doing something consistently. You can make a strategy, with or without consistency, that feels really good to you and WILL get you results. 

I had a limiting belief that it was a bad thing that I wasn't consistent.

If you're like me and you live for the special days and the flowy "structure" of being your own boss and doing what you want, when you want, I'm here to tell you that's ok. Consistency isn't good or bad; it's just one of the options. But what I was getting hung up on was a shame spiral that was neither healthy nor productive. It went something like this:

I wouldn't do the thing consistently (this could be anything; let's use insta as an example because I think that's relatable); I would do a good job for a week or so, then as soon as I stopped or took a break, I told myself stories that I was failing, that I'm doing a bad job, and then it was something I needed to feel bad about because I didn't do what the experts say or what some stranger on the internet told me to. But the consistency thing wasn't working for me. I don't like being told what to do, and doing something I didn't like doing every day wasn't fun; I wasn't getting results, and so I would feel bad, and so I would stop, and then I could feel bad about that so then I would start, so do you see how this circle never ends?

There is very little that I do that is consistent. It's no secret I like to gamble; maybe that's why it's easy for me to wake up and bet on myself every day, even when the chips are stacked against me.

But it's not a bluff.​ It's the only thing I do consistently is believing in myself enough to get shit done. 

And I don't believe in faking it till you make it.

Being you, selling what you're selling, it's nothing to fake. You don't have to pretend to be anything that you're not to get people to buy from you.

So it's actually not about consistency. If you think success and money will come when you start using *fill in the blank* consistently (Instagram, your email list, whatever), you're going to be disappointed when you find out your success is not tied to how consistently you do something.

Consistency builds confidence in yourself, your offerings, the platform. Confidence helps you believe you have what it takes. So can consistency help? Yes.​

But it was never JUST the consistency; it was within you all along.

If you're not entirely confident in your brand, what you do, who you help, and where you want to go, unfortunately, posting on Instagram every day is not going to clear that up for you. Neither will faking it till you make it or crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.

The secret most entrepreneurs don't tell you because it feels weird to say or because they don't even realize it:

They believe in themselves.

They trust themselves.

They have a vision.​

Their vision is more than "I want to make a million dollars;" that's actually not a vision at all. That's a statement or a poorly stated goal. 

If you want your business to succeed, it starts with believing that it's possible for you. 

And if all of this wasn't enough, let me share some examples of inconsistency that might help. 

Amanda Frances, someone I have enjoyed learning from, owns a multi-million dollar business, and she doesn't do much consistently. Her podcast episodes come out randomly, same with her vlogs, and yet she's wildly successful. She posts on insta every day because she likes to. But her offers, her releases, they're not consistent, and yet she consistently makes 6 figure months.

My friend Sam uses a strategy where she uses Facebook groups to book new clients, and she only does this a few hours a month or when she wants to take on more clients. 

I work on Pinterest only a few times a year, and it brings me tons of views, clicks, orders, clients, and email subscribers.

If you love being consistent, you'll find success with it. But consistency for the sake of consistency is a waste of time. It's not a strategy alone.

Whether you're showing up consistently or consistently inconsistent, you're doing great!