How to Achieve Consistency for Long-Term Goals? We all know motivational gurus that incentivize us to work hard, for the benefits we would eventually receive. However, when we try to incorporate that motivation we are disappointed by how short it lasts. Most people have a long list of long-term goals that never get completed, like new years resolution that we are determined to accomplish at the beginning of the year and by march we forget about them.

Everything worth doing requires a considerable amount of time and effort. It’s no secret that challenging long-term goals like finishing a course or completing a big deliverable provide the biggest rewards.

Ironically, we expect to achieve big things from little action. The fast-paced world we live in make us believe that big rewards like learning a new skill, sticking to a diet, or growing wealth can be obtained overnight. Reality is far from this and anyone who tells you the contrary is likely setting you up.

“What does this have to do with consistency?” you may ask. Consistency is the key to achieving challenging long-term goals that provide big rewards. Some of us start taking actions based on motivation, but once motivation fades, we stop and never achieve our long-term goals. In the following section you will learn how to achieve consistency for long-term goals.

The truth about consistency

Contrary to what gurus and motivation speakers want you to believe, to achieve consistency you don’t have to change your personality or take your willpower to the extreme. Instead, consistency is a consequence of sustaining routines long enough for them to turn into habits.

Let’s remember that consequences are the result or effect of an action. As you start doing something, you find that after the initial motivation has faded, your brain increases it resistance towards performing the thing.

No will power, work ethic or personality change –if that is even possible, will provide you the tools to take the challenge of working long hours to achieve your goal.

Routines

In order to not lose momentum, you have to build routines. Routines are sequence of actions that you carry out the same way every time. They are usually reinforcing when they work out in your favor. The reason why routines work is because they are more energy efficient actions for your brain. The following video shows a routine some golfers perform to improve their game.

For example, when you want to cook you get the same ingredients for your favorite dish and cook them in a certain order, maybe because you like the taste of the result. Instead of relying on will power, which would require to invest a lot of energy into cooking, you follow a sequence of actions that you know the outcome of.

Habits

Has it ever happened to you that when you are driving you become conscious that you are driving, and your brain changes the way it processes your action making you feel overwhelmed? Well, the same thing happens with routines after a while.

Routines can eventually turn into habits, which feel much easier because they are basically the sequence of actions carried out unconsciously. After routines have been repeated for some time, your brain considers them rewarding and a great response to a situation. So, habits can feel like you are in auto pilot.

At this point you just learned how to achieve consistency for long-term goals. You can apply this knowledge to create change in your life, and learn to habits to contribute to your well being.

Conclusion

We cannot count on motivation to accomplish our long-term goals. Motivation only last for a few days and we require sustained actions over a long period of time.

Consistency is not something you can buy or hack your way into, you have to be methodical and sustain routines long enough for them to turn into habits. Once you build your habits you can finally claim you are consistent. Finally, working consistently allows to complete long-term goals, which provide the biggest rewards.

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