Chris Mance II - Mental Skills Coach

Consistency is the critical character trait we all need to achieve anything meaningful. Each time you start something, then stop, then start again weeks or months later, you reset the clock on your goals and push back the finish line indefinitely. Without consistency, goals become dreams, and dreams become nightmares.

Unquestionably, being inconsistent is something you want to avoid at all costs. However, if you are self-aware to know you have a problem with being inconsistent, then you also must know that this is something you can’t change about yourself overnight by just speaking it into existence.

Trying to go from being inconsistent to consistent overnight is like a couch potato trying to sprint a marathon. You can try to sprint, but you will quickly burn out. The only way a couch potato can finish a marathon is with patience. Moreover, having patience with yourself is the secret to increasing your consistency.

Therefore, to increase your consistency you must start with the concept of a minimum viable change (MVC). An MVC is the smallest possible change you can make while still making a difference. This change must have at least three characteristics:

• Easy to implement
• Impactful in a visible or measurable way
• Build momentum

The path to increasing your consistency starts with taking time to find a MVC relevant to the behavior you want. Then, being patient as you follow this three-step process.

1. Get someone to agree to be your accountability partner. Let them in on the details of the behaviors you need to change. Explain your MVC and how that MVC is measured. Then empower them with the access into your life to hold you accountable for keeping the promises you make.
2. Develop and then execute a plan for the progression of your MVC. For example, if you start by waking up 10 minutes early, increase this to 20 minutes after 30 days or 60 days. Then, figure out a plan for how you will then keep adding additional 10-minute increments over time. If the ultimate goal is working your way up to waking up at 5 am, then your plan may be to do it by adding 10-minute increments every 30 days over 6 months.
3. Layer on other MVCs on top of the first one after you get the wheel of your first MVC spinning effortlessly. Plan each additional MVC with your accountability partner the same way you did with the first one, and then let your partner hold you accountable to this plan.

As you can see the pattern is simple. To increase consistently you must be held accountable, be patient, and slowly increase the challenge as you remain consistent.