Why are some people more successful than others?

How do they get promoted to influential roles?

What do they do that makes them the natural choice for new opportunities?

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, then I’m going to share with you one thing they do that makes them successful.

Take Action on a Consistent Basis

What successful people do that others don’t is to take action on a consistent basis.

These aren’t the big, bold actions like taking on a challenging new assignment, but rather the small ones that build up over time. Like the compounding effect of interest on an investment.

For example, taking a few minutes each day to connect with someone in your network to build and strengthen your relationship. Not only does this take very little time, it builds a network of trusted relationships that can help you in your career and life.

Or making it a point to speak up and add value in every meeting. Doing this consistently results in you becoming more confident and growing your authority and influence.

Why Consistency Pays Off

When you do something every day, it becomes “normal” for you and you don’t have to use up precious decision-making capacity because it’s a habit. Successful people take advantage of this by incorporating consistent positive actions into their daily lives.

The key is to choose the right actions for you to take consistently.

Your choices now will determine the pay-off you get in the long-term. And what you choose may change over time as your life evolves.

Take the Right Actions

So, what are the things that matter to you most, especially in the longer term? Maybe it’s your relationships and your health. Perhaps it’s reaching a career goal or making an impact in a particular area.

Whatever those things are, make sure you’re taking consistent action that lead you toward succeeding in that goal.

“We are what we repeatedly do.”
– Will Durant (interpreting a passage from Aristotle)

When it comes to the things that matter – like your relationships, health, career and impact in the world – consistently taking small steps is more powerful than taking one big step.

Those are things you can’t “cram”. And if you do leave them to the last minute or when you “have more time”, you won’t get the same result.

For example, you wouldn’t think of putting off brushing your teeth for 30 days and making it up by brushing them 30 times on the last day of the month!

The Things You Can’t “Cram”

In your career, the things you can’t leave to the last minute and still expect great results are mostly related to relationships. For better or worse, most of what’s needed for career success these days requires having relationships with people.

For example:

• To succeed as a team leader, it’s the daily interactions you have with team members that make the difference. How do you respond when someone presents an idea? When’s the last time you started a meeting with appreciating the progress the team has made?
• When it comes to generating business results and opportunities, it’s the consistency with which you call your clients and prospects. What are you doing consistently to build trusted relationships? Are you making outbound calls only when there’s a product to sell?
• To explore your next career step, the best way is to leverage your network and to have one in place before you need it. How often do you touch base with your mentors? What are you doing to build relationships with people beyond the ones needed to get your job done?

No matter how small the actions are, when you take them consistently the pay-off is fewer problems and greater successes in whatever area you’ve chosen. Plus there’s a ripple effect across other areas of your life too.

“Our culture is the result of a trillion tiny acts, taken by billions of people, every day. Each of them can seem insignificant, but all of them add up, one way or the other, to the change we each live through.”
– Seth Godin

What Will You Do?

Today is the start of the Chinese New Year and a fitting time for adopting your new habit of taking consistent action to achieve the things that matter most to you and reaching the aspirations you hold most dear.

The key to success is not to rely on willpower or leave things to chance.

Whether it’s about your career, health, relationships, impact or another aspiration you hold dear, your success depends on the actions you take consistently.

What goal have you set your sights on to achieve this year and what consistent action will you take to succeed?

Leave me a comment and let me know.