You've Got Consistency Wrong

If you don’t live under a rock, you’ve probably heard it said that consistency is the secret ingredient to long-term success.

This seems like the only thing everybody talks about these days. And for good reason.

Undoubtedly, consistency plays a big role in achieving any goal, whether in personal development, career growth, health and fitness or even relationships.

Professionally, consistency builds credibility and reliability. In relationships, it fosters trust. When learning a new skill, it leads to mastery and excellence.

The basic principle of consistency is simple: Steady, continuous efforts compound over time to yield big results.

This is true in every area of life, but especially in health and fitness.

One of the most quoted phrases in fitness is: “You don’t need to be extreme, just consistent”.

This means that to see results, you don’t have to push yourself to the limit every day—you just need to keep showing up.

However, there’s one major thing that many people get wrong about consistency—believing that being consistent means having flawless execution.

When Perfection Is The Goal

This all-or-nothing approach assumes that if things can’t be done perfectly, they aren’t worth doing at all.

It fails to recognize that no one is able to do everything perfectly 100% of the time.

Holding yourself to this unrealistic standard is setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment.

When you aim for flawless execution every time, the pressure to get things right every single time becomes overwhelming.

This makes it more likely for you to either get stuck in inaction or quit if things don’t go perfectly.

Thinking about consistency this way is simply not sustainable and can be incredibly damaging to long-term progress.

If this is how you think about consistency, I’d like to offer you a different, more liberating perspective.

Today, I’d like to bring to your attention 3 things that you probably believe about what consistency is, but that aren’t true.

Consistency isn’t about never messing up—it’s about how quickly you get back on track

There are times when you’re super consistent with your healthy habits—you’re doing all your exercises, you’re drinking enough water, you’re eating well, and you’re getting adequate sleep.

But then there are other moments when life gets in the way. You may have a busy week or you get into a funk, and fall out of routine.

If you’re aiming for perfection, these moments can send you into a downward spiral of guilt, making you feel like giving up on your healthy habits entirely.

But here’s the thing: Missing a few days doesn’t erase all the progress you’ve made up until that point.

Slip-ups are completely normal. Everyone has them. Even the people you think are the most disciplined.

The only difference is that they’ve mastered the art of quickly getting back on track.

And that’s what consistency is really about. It’s being able to quickly bounce back from those off days and get back on track.

The key is not to beat yourself up over these small setbacks. Don’t let a few off days derail your entire progress.

In the grand scheme of things, overall consistency is what matters more. A few slip-ups along the way have very little impact on your overall progress.

Consistency isn’t about frequency—it’s about regularity

Sometimes people confuse consistency with doing something all the time. So they start obsessing over maintaining a perfect streak.

They think if they miss a day or take a break, they’ve lost all momentum and failed at being consistent.

But again, given life’s unpredictability, this approach is unrealistic.

The truth is, consistency isn’t about never taking a break—it’s about creating a reliable pattern of behavior that stands the test time.

How do you do that? By building a routine you can sustain no matter what life throws your way.

For instance, you can be consistent with three workouts a week without working out every single day.

Or you can commit to make healthy food choices most of the time rather than striving for a perfect diet every single meal.

The overall pattern of your actions is what counts long-term, not isolated moments of perfection.

Consistency isn’t about rigidity—it’s about flexibility

People often think that to be consistent, they need to strictly follow their plan, even when it no longer fits their life or circumstances.

But as Mike Tyson famously said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

There’s no such thing as a perfect plan.

When life inevitably throws you a curveball, you need to roll with the punches. That is, modify your plan to suit your circumstances and stay on track with your goals.

Your plan should help you achieve your goals, not make your life harder.

Consistency is about adapting to challenges and making adjustments when necessary.

Here’s a piece that puts it perfectly:

The Big Picture

Reframing your understanding of consistency in this way frees you from having to think that you need to do something perfectly all the time.

Even if you’re taking 3 steps forward and 2 steps back, when you look at the bigger picture, you’re still moving forward.

So, if you’ve been hard on yourself for not being consistent with your goals, give yourself some grace.

As long as you keep picking yourself up and getting back on track, you’re making progress.

And remember, the more you do it, the easier it gets.

Thanks for reading! I hope you found something valuable :)

To get more actionable tips like these, consider joining other health-curious friends like you by signing up below.