Long form articles about Consistency for solopreneurs
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Everyone wants to skip to the end
Everyone wants to skip to the end.
Knowledge is not the same as wisdom.
Knowledge is reading about it, wisdom is failing at it.
The learning and failing are both essential parts of absorbing it.
Hacks are easy, consistency is hard.
Quick wins are for quick quitters.
The only long-term strategy is to learn to enjoy the process
The thing about hard targets…
Targets are just something to aim it
It’s target practice that counts
That’s how to aim high, fail most of the time,
And still hold onto your hope
When you hit the hump, seek clarity.
This week I hit a major crisis of clarity.
I’ve made some quick wins, but my momentum has halted as I hit the hump.
I was feeling like I’d lost my way.
All week I sat at my computer, distracting myself with busiwork,
but not knowing what to work on.
Listening to a chapter of Dan Koe’s Art of Focus brought me clarity.
I opened it at random and just so happened to land on a chapter specifically about hitting the hump in any endeavour.
I realised the problem I was struggling with was not having too many tasks, the problem was I had no clarity.
I didn’t have anything to guide my focus and so my efforts all felt random.
Without clarity, I was trying to work on everything that came my way.
I was struggling mentally because my skills hadn’t yet developed to the point where I’m ready.
Which means I’m not getting the results I want.
Which is normal.
My anxiety was coming from the fact I was resorting to seeking new activities,
cramming my day with admin and busiwork,
Instead of just recommitting to the things that work.
I just need to stay the course and keep doing the right things every day.
As soon as I realised this I felt a wave of relief and joy washing over me.
I was already in the right place doing the right things.
I just need to keep doing it for a few more years haha.
Most stress is not caused by a lack of time or lack of skills, stress is caused by lack of clarity.
Now the path was clear.
I had moved away from my schedule so I was opening myself to choices.
Which was allowing lots of random non-needle moving tasks into my day.
So I set aside an hour,
I sat down and redesigned my schedule a bit as I have to get back to doing the same things every day.
My schedule gives me clarity on what I *should* be doing instead of what I *could* be doing. Follow the process.
Be more water
On Consistency
It seems impossible that water could carve such smooth flutes and marbled channels through solid rock.
It would take me years of hard labour, powerful pneumatic tools, and then agonising hand polishing to mould rock like that.
Yet just water passing by every day has done that.
I think of that every time I see waterfalls.
It’s a reminder not to burn myself out smashing rocks.
All I need to do is just pour a little bit of water every day.
Success = consistency + time
Most people give up too early
I like to notice where people decide to turn back on a hike.
It’s amazing how many people turn back 20 mins from the carpark!
Then there are those that follow the trail, visit the signposted landmark on Google maps, snap and obligatory photo and assume that’s all there is to see.
Keep going.
Go further until it gets quiet and no-one is ahead or behind,
That’s the sweet spot where you have room to breathe.
The truly magic places aren’t on the path.
They are always just a bit further.
I don’t want to call people actively lazy.
Many simply reach a natural resistance point where their desire to rest outweighs their curiosity drive.
They’ve seen enough and turned back.
“The mountain looks fine from here.”
But what if they were just a bit more curious and kept going?
There’s so much more to see, and the last 10% of the hike is where the most dramatic views lie.
1 Most people give up too early. Go 10% further.
2 Being unfit means you miss out on so much good stuff.
3 Stay curious
Use momentum to beat the hump
There is a point in any project or endeavour,
Where you make quick gains at the start,
you feel like you’re winning,
then suddenly you hit the hump.
This is where most people give up.
It’s like driving a car:
easy to get to 30 mph.
just a little bit harder to get to 60mph
much harder to get to 70mph
Success is doing the same things up to the point where you lose momentum, then carry on.
Carrying on until the next paradigm shift or breakthrough
every long term project has multiple humps.
at this point shiny object syndrome normally kicks in and you move onto something else and start again.
Realign with your goals
stay to the path
Use consistency to beat the hump
A formula for success
We all have a different starting point…
But given a long enough timeline, success is inevitable if we just keep making the correct decisions repeatedly.
So how do we make correct decisions?
We can ask the experts.
But the experts are only handing out tactics.
It’s not enough just to gather knowledge from gurus on social media.
You don’t learn anything.
If you want success, you need strategies, not tactics.
You need wisdom, not knowledge
You have to take the HOW and filter this through your own life experience.
You have to gain wisdom and apply it in your life and work.
So If:
Wisdom = knowledge + action
If follows:
Success = wisdom + consistency + time
Ignore fads and hacks. Learn, practice, experiment, keep doing it for a long time. Simples.
Success is an inevitable side effect
Try,
not to try,
to be successful.
being successful is outwith my control.
to want it and not get it will be painful.
Instead, try
to enjoy doing every day
the things which will lead to my success.
- Exercise everyday
- Think everyday
- Write everyday
- Build everyday
- Share everyday
- Sell everyday
- Reflect everyday
These are things that are within my control.
and if I do them well,
I will be happy with the doing.
Success is an inevitable side effect of doing the right things
People give up too early
I like to notice where people decide to turn back on a hike.
It’s amazing how many people turn back 20 mins from the carpark!
Then there are those who follow the trail, visit the signposted landmark on Google maps, snap and obligatory photo and assume that’s all there is to see.
Keep going.
Don’t be a tourist.
Go further.
Go until it gets quiet and no-one is ahead or behind,
That’s the sweet spot where you have room to breathe.
The truly magic places aren’t on the path.
They are always just a bit further.
I don’t want to call people actively lazy.
Many simply reach a natural resistance point where their desire to rest outweighs their curiosity drive.
They’ve seen enough and turned back.
“The mountain looks fine from here.”
But what if they were just a bit more curious and kept going?
There’s so much more to see, and the last 10% of the hike is where the most dramatic views lie.
1 Most people give up too early. Go 10% further.
2 Being unfit means you miss out on so much good stuff.
3 Stay curious
How to carve solid rock with your bare hands…
How to carve solid rock with your bare hands…
It seems impossible that water could carve such smooth flutes and marbled channels through solid rock.
It would take me years of hard labour, powerful pneumatic tools, and then agonising hand polishing to mould rock like that.
Yet just water passing by every day has done that.
I think of that every time I see waterfalls.
It’s a reminder not to burn myself out smashing rocks.
All I need to do is just pour a little bit of water every day.
Then I cannot fail.
Success = consistency + time
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