P is for Pain, C is for Consistency

I finished the workout, diet and weight-loss program Body for Life in mid-December. Then, due to travel and a few unfortunate events, I had to take a few weeks off from working out. While I mostly followed the eating portion of the program, all of my designs to re-start another round the first of the year ... well, let's just say they didn't go as planned.

So I finally got my ducks in a row and started again yesterday. The program includes weight-lifting, and one is meant to do five sets of each exercise. After three sets, I was already feeling "discomfort" and this morning I'm fully in the midst of "delayed onset muscle soreness." I used to be able to do all five sets, quickly, efficiently, and without any real discomfort. Even upping the ante every week throughout the program did not yield the same amount of soreness that I have today.

What do my workouts have to do with your business? Actually, quite a bit. Had I consistently continued my workouts, I would be able to do them as before without the pain. Due to the break, I'm going through the initial pain that comes with starting again. As anyone who's started an exercise program knows, there's a period of time that one must go through that's not really enjoyable to get to the part where it's enjoyable.

The same is true with your business: if you start marketing your services, do it for awhile, then stop or scale way back, you lose most or all of the progress you've made, and then you must endure the pain of starting again. It's far better to stay in the game once you've started playing.

 

I hear my clients expressing the pain of not doing critical-inch activities consistently. Once we put a structure in place that includes those activities, they enjoy the benefits of those efforts, and so can you. Very simply, identify those activities that create the results you want and calendar them, in advance. Make sure those appointments are non-negotiable. This means you won't allow other distractions to get in the way of your progress, and you will make positive progress toward your goals and ideal outcomes.