Counterpoint: Inconsistent Success is a Critical Step to Consistent Success
Some of the fondest memories I have as a dad come from watching my two sons develop in their first few years of youth wrestling. These memories are both a joy to think about and also serve as superb life lessons. One of the best of these lessons is getting a first hand view of how progressing towards success works up close.
In youth wrestling, as with most things in life, all new wrestlers start from the bottom. At this beginner stage, there is virtually no chance of success against an advanced wrestler. Therefore, the only way a beginner can experience any success is to compete with other beginners. However, success against other beginners doesn’t necessarily mean the wrestler is actually getting better. The only way to know for sure one is getting better is to test oneself against advanced wrestlers.
When a beginner youth wrestler first starts to compete against someone more advanced, they will fail nearly 100% of the time. If they’re persistent, they will eventually score a few points here and there inconsistently. Eventually with more persistence, more consistent success will follow. But there will be more bad days than good days until one day the persistence ushers in more good days than bad days.
Inconsistency is the Light at the End of the Tunnel
Herein lies the life lesson. An early sign of breakthrough success is inconsistent success. When you start at something, it’s typical to experience consistent failure. If you stick with it, the next thing you will experience is a back and forth between good days and bad days.
Most people look at inconsistency like this as a bad thing. This may be true in the case of an experienced veteran. But if you’re new at something, inconsistency like this is the light at the end of the tunnel. It means you’re on the brink of breaking through to consistent success.
All you have to do now is stick with the process, then perfect the process that has taken you this far. The process that gets you from consistent failure to inconsistent success may not be the same process to get you from inconsistent success to consistent success. However, all the clues you need to perfect the process are right at your fingertips.