“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.”_Robert Collier
In any great game of life, consistency of performance is the non-negotiable requirement of mastery.
Whether the game is sports, business or academics, if we work only by sporadic intensity of performance based on swings in our feelings, motivation and emotions we will fall short true greatness.
However, if we adopt the strategy of unremitting consistency or what I call, ‘the slight edge advantage,’ we will inevitably attain a lofty end.
I coined the idea from a wonderful book that is entitled ‘Slight Edge’ written by Jeff Olsen. The book states that consistency of performance is like an anchor that anyone can hang their best intentions upon. This anchor is a sure means to transform our dreams into reality.
In the book, Jeff Olsen gives us seven strategies that lead to true success: two of which are: ‘consistent and being committed for the long haul.’
In this article, I interpret both principles to be one and the same because to be committed is to stay consistent at a time when it would have been easier not to.
Contrary to the popular idea of instant breakthrough, the author
of ‘Slight Edge’ tells us that people with mindset of consistency is are the leading masters in all arenas of life. Indeed, quick fixes have nothing to do with lasting success.
He observes: “Any time you see what looks like a breakthrough, it is always the end result of a long series of little things, done consistently over time.”
You see, no matter how talented we are, without the application of consistency we wouldn’t move beyond the edge of mediocrity. But with unremitting consistency, we can achieve something truly remarkable.
In the words of a football coach, Jim Tressel: “The hallmark of excellence, the test of greatness, is—the spirit of— consistency.
