At a glance, it seems contradictory.
If achievements come from consistency, I should keep repeating the same actions.
Or if I change every time, how can I reach a goal?
And, at the same time, if I continue in the same direction no matter what happens around me, I have very few chances to do well.
Nothing is black or white, but I see a pattern in adopting a flexible mindset in the thought process and a consistent mind when it comes to actions.
Frames that are wide enough give you space to remain fluid and creative in your thought process and consistent in your actions.
A set of non-modifiable actions discourage you; an iteration process, integrating feedback, brings you closer to your goal instead.
How do flexibility and consistency produce more results?
Get clarity on the destination, remain flexible on the next steps.
Goal setting
Define your destination, but allow space for the “how”.
When we build our next goals, we often try to solve the “what” and “how” at the same time. And when the “how” is defined, we don’t review it enough.
In business life, sometimes a precise “how” plan is defined too early. Then, week after week, a team will follow the notes without questioning if the plan still makes sense.
I believe in a tactical plan. It’s needed, and it should be written. But it needs to remain dynamic.
Build a frame that is large enough for you to change, adapt, and correct.
- “Gain 20 new logos this year”.
- “Be able to have a 30-minute exchange with my neighbors in a new language at the end of this year”.
- ” keep my weight in between XX and XX”.
In a second step, start writing all your options to reach the goals. There should be many.
Prioritize three of them and start focusing. Build weekly close-loop feedback where you analyze, think, review…And restart again. Keep fluidity on the “how”.
Be consistent on the principles, not the recipes.
Continuous improvement in daily life
If you want to remain in shape, deciding to avoid processed food will be easier than making a list of ingredients you won’t eat.
You can be more creative in how you build your daily diet. You reduce the constraints.
I remember something I read in The China Study book and that has guided me ever since. Thomas Campbell explains that the alchemy of food, and how your body integrates it is very complicated. So it’s not the banana, the avocado, or the lemon which are super good in themselves.
It’s the combination of good food with the complex integration of our body.
This principle has freed me. Anytime someone advises me to eat only apples for 30 days, I distance myself from this. I have nothing against apples, I love them 😀 . Still, I believe that apples are stronger with other fruits and vegetables than on their own.
And it makes my daily life more comfortable. I can eat whatever non-processed food comes my way. Simplicity helps you to be more consistent, and consistency brings results.
When you adopt the principle of personal responsibility, your life becomes more manageable.
Who is right or wrong is not so important.
I’m responsible for how I interpret and react to situations. The way I see the case influences my emotions.
I’m in control and can find options to improve myself in any environment.
This gives you plenty of space to develop your creativity, to improve yourself without being stuck with one method. After an argument, you can auto-analyze yourself, write about what you did well, what you did wrong, what you still believe, what has changed in your ideas…This flexibility in your thought process brings you closer to the truth.
Flexibility in the thought process
Because no plan works as planned. And maybe today more than ever.
Our world changes more rapidly, everything — including our plan — needs to adapt and keep the same pace.
Be confident that you can reach your goals, believe in yourself, but remain humble on how to get there.
Allow yourself to pivot, to correct your course of action, and to recognize and accept your mistakes.
This process is surely more important than the destination. Whatever your outcomes, you’ll grow and learn during this quest.
Consistency in the execution
If you stop pedaling, you’ll fall.
The “how” can change, but the magical daily actions need to remain.
Gamify it, play with it, score every day. Make it a habit and you’ll profit with compound interest.
Getting rich quickly rarely happens in the financial world, but getting rich slowly with compound interest is possible for quite everyone.
That’s what you can replicate for your health, emotions, body, and intellect.
Conclusion
Remain flexible in the thinking/rethinking process and consistent with the actions is important.
Actions are sometimes scary, and we may fall into the trap of thinking and planning too much. Or, in the chaos of all the actions, we may not stop and only discover later that we were climbing the wrong wall.
Actions provide feedback to correct the thinking, and rethinking corrects the actions. It creates a positive loop.
An hour a day for your self-renewal for years will change your life. And it’s never too late to start. Start today, start tiny, and increase daily. Five years from now, you’ll be surprised by your results.
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