• Consistency, Momentum and Movements

    Posted on February 28th, 2011 by and currently 6 commenting.


    I love the caption on this flickr photo from arkworld. Practice, Practice, Practice.

    I love reading online. It’s become a habit of mine on Sunday nights as I write a post or two for the week ahead and get my mind and momentum rolling after a day or two of downtime.

    I also love reading online because I stumble on things organically. Like this post from @JasonFalls on what is really driving traffic to your blog.

    Checking ours now.

    Or this blog topic from @mackcollier for #blogchat’s first live SXSW event:

    What can company blogs learn from personal bloggers?

    The power of a great question is amazing, isn’t it? That question made me think.

    My last great stumble was this from Verne Harnish (love that guy). Verne lead me to the read the first chapter from Darren Hardy’s book, The Compound Effect, Multiplying Your Success. One Simple Step at Time. Dan’s first chapter is about Choices.

    Did you know that if you decrease your food intake by 125 calories a day you will lose 33.5 pounds in 31 months. Wow. Such a simple notion.

    Consistency is one of the keys to success in anything. @virginiamiracle said it long ago on this very blog, that “blogging is like a muscle”. You use it or lose it. I have held on that thought for many years. Because the moment I read that, I realized it wasn’t just a statement about blogging, but about success.

    If you have want to be successful at anything, you have to be consistent.

    You have to do take one or two simple steps and do them again, and again and again. Whether it is blogging, growing your business, growing a community or igniting a movement. You can’t do it in a day (or with a contest on facebook). You have to roll up your sleeves and do the little things that get you toward your goals. Those little things ultimately tip and drive you to a place where momentum kicks in.

    And momentum is a very, very good thing.

    What one little thing can you do consistently that will help you reach your goals?

    Figure that out, then go do it.

    Now as Jason Falls says (freaking love this from him)… the comments are yours. Go.

  • http://jlwatsonconsulting.typepad.com Jim Watson

    Thanks for this reminder, Robin.

    The beauty of this advice is that it so
    actionable.
    Consistency and repetition are so easy to enact, yet so powerful.
    Why don’t more of us do it, in more areas of our lives, more often?

    Thanks again,
    Jim

  • http://borderlessthinking.com Cherry Woodburn

    Great reminders, as Jim said. I picked up Scott Hamilton’s autobiography (which was poorly written and I couldn’t finish it, so I don’t recommend) BUT, he talked about when he was first learning figure skating his coach kept making practice Figure 8′s. As a kid, drove him crazy but he goes on to explain how that practice, focus and what became almost mindless repetition kept him “present”, skilled and strong – and an ultimate winner.

  • http://www.bradentalbot.com Braden Talbot

    I don’t know why, but the driven, hard-working, consistent, persistent entrepreneur, writer, or artist inspires me more than a success story.

    Hearing about how a basketball player shoots thousands of shots per day, Stephen King writing 4 to 6 hours per day, Charles Bukowski choosing an empty stomach and writing over food and a job, or the iconic rock band, Nirvana, practicing their music four hours at a time – this makes me turn down my excuses and turn up my 1,000 to 2,000-word-minimum or self-education curriculum.

  • http://amberpagewrites.com amber

    Too true. I know setting up a blogging routine has made me a better writer – I get itchy when I don’t do it now. My current “little step?” Just trying to learn one new thing each day. Might sound lame, but that knowledge is building to become something Big.

  • http://ben.riverbendmedia.com Ben Martinez

    Great reminders and I agree with the comments above.

    I play a lot of tennis and I have learned that you have to become machine like during practice and competition. I believe this same principle holds true in business and life. Once you have laid out your goals you must be relentless and almost robotic in how you practice to achieve them.

  • http://virginiamiracle.com Virginia Miracle

    Robbin – Thanks for the shoutout. So much of what I learned about movements AND blogging I brought from my time in your tribe!

    And now, I need to take my advice a bit more and flex that blogging muscle a lot more regularly. Love to all in Greenvegas!