Why should one be consistent?

An interesting picture - Source - Nat Geo

I've tried to stay consistent about everything I do throughout my career and in personal life. But I came to realize how difficult it is to be consistent consistently!!!
 

My dad always has only one advice for me, “You should know what you want and be consistent in what you do”. I am trying to take his advice seriously these days, for reasons obvious. I’d like to share the reasons here:

Success Factor - Do you know of any Olympic champion who has not practiced much or who has not won in any other games before?  I believe consistency is the key to success. Not just in sports but in everything we do. I am reminded of a very fond adage “How you do anything is how you do everything” These 9 words are a perfect sketch of how I want to be.

Trust - I know of a 63 year old software tester. She has been testing for more than a decade now. When she is around, nobody would need an internet search for things as she is completely reliable. What’s her secret? “Consistency, of course” she says.

Confidence - Often times I have felt less confident about things I do. Take cooking for example. Being a big fan of cakes and confectioneries, I tried my hand at it. The first time, I almost burnt the cake, the second time we got to taste hard-crusted rusks, the third time I almost lost the self-confidence and almost gave up. But then as I want to change for good, I tried it again several times and it worked. Now, I can bake a pretty good sponge cake with a decent icing! My husband says ‘Amen’ to that!

Style statement – You’d be wondering what consistency is to do with Style? Well, picture this. I had the pleasure of working with a manager called Value-add Vivek. Yes, that’s his name and he has made a style statement by delivering products in style. For an automation testing suite we created for our team for a new tool, Value-add-Vivek designed a User interface and the clients loved it. Not just this, he always attaches his signature by consistently deliver quality products with a twist!

Communicable – Free advice is the last thing you want to hear from your colleagues. If you notice the traits of people who work with you, only a selected few stand apart. They are people who are consistent enough in what they do which has made an impact in the workplace. This trait is easily communicable. So, when a colleague of yours shows a dedication and commitment to being consistent, you’d want to be so naturally.

Master this trait and success is always at hand.