I wanted to talk about something that I think, will help all of our users become more productive online. I know a lot of people who use Weeknight Website are multi-passionate and really creative people. I’m like that myself and it’s really hard to choose a project and then stick with it. Sometimes the idea of needing to stick with something keeps us from starting it at all. It just intimidates us and makes us fearful to do things like a blog, social media platform, or even things for our personal care.
So, I want to talk about the mindset changes it takes to be consistent because this is just as important to building your personal brand as anything else. There is a podcast we listen to and the host would say “consistency breeds legitimacy”. The more that you show up, even if you know no one’s watching (or very few people are watching), the more that it helps you look legitimate in your business and it helps people trust you.
Mindset Shift: Responsibility is NOT a Prison.
Responsibility is not a prison. Discipline actually brings freedom. I know for a lot of people, the motivation for having an online business, it’s to create freedom in your life.
You may want more time for family, the creative things that you love, or even time for your passions. You know, a lot of you guys will try to work for yourselves or work towards a goal of working for yourself online. Those freedom goals can make you more resistant to discipline. Here is the trick, you actually need to be really disciplined to be able to create freedom in your life. What I’m learning in my life is when I just put my head in the sand and ignore things, I’m just preparing myself for a big blow up in my face later. It bites me in the butt later and the people that I am serving can see it too.
This is just me being vulnerable. I’ve let things slide, or not been disciplined in some areas and I kick myself later. I think to myself “Oh man, I really wish that I was done because I would have had more freedom in my life now.”
Benefits of Consistency
- Consistency grows, your influence. When you’re consistent, people trust you and it helps them, in turn, buy from you because they know you’re showing up no matter what.
- People respect you and take you seriously because you’re taking yourself seriously.
- It eliminates decision fatigue. For instance, I know every week we’re going to be here on Friday with a webinar, so I don’t have to think about what are we doing this week to connect with our community. Another great example of consistency eliminating decision fatigue is a capsule wardrobe. At first, it seems creatively stifling, but then within that limitation find many different ways to express yourself. Ultimately, it helps you be able to roll out of bed and just pick something because all of your clothes go together.
- You get better… faster. I love this. The more that you’re consistently using one tool or a set of tools and mastering it, the more that you are going to get better and then you get faster.
- You create a body of work to fall back on.
- Consistency helps people trust you AND what you create.
Action Steps to help you improve consistency
I really recommend evaluating yourself by asking these questions:
- Do I have this belief?
- Am I actually being resistant to things that will ultimately help me later?
Mantras to help you improve consistency:
1. It will happen, but it doesn’t need to happen all at once. It is important to actually define your season and think about the fact that you are not a machine. You might be able to do all the things, but what’s the priority right now? I recommend writing down all of your goals and putting them into categories. Separate them into ‘now’, ‘next’, and ‘later’ categories. You have to decide what season is each goal and what do you have the capacity for right now?
2. You can do anything but you can’t do everything. In designing your season have to define your priorities. I recommend picking one thing to master and be consistent. One thing at a time. The absolute biggest mistake I see people make in online business is they’re doing all the things at once. When you’re doing all the things at once, you’re setting yourself up to fail.
3. Success is just showing up. I want you to remember that with consistency, success is showing up. All it takes to be consistent is to show up. All you have to do is show up at a certain time or on a certain day with a defined goal for yourself. Define for yourself… “What is success?” and “What does it mean to show up?”
Pro Tip: Use your content in a way that can be pre purposed. For example, take a video webinar and make a blog from it, then use the slides for social posts, and then use the audio as a podcast.
Need more help with this? Check out our Weeknight Website members-only video in your dashboard called “website mindset”!
