The mantra for Normandy Schools Collaborative is: “CONSISTENCY, THE MARK OF A CHAMPION.” Many times, when people create mantras, there is a purpose. The purpose behind this year’s mantra is that if we want to be champions for our students and for each other, we must be consistent with everything we do. Consistency breeds confidence, progress, prosperity, growth, perfection, and success amongst many other powerful things. It also allows us to maintain our message.
Many times, we fail miserably at being consistent because we are focused on the outcome rather than the process. This is not to say that the outcome is not important, but if we become fixated on the outcome, it can work against us, no matter how compelling this outcome is. Why? Because any outcome compelling enough to excite us is probably one that won’t be achieved without hard work and sacrifice over a long period of time.
Without certain processes in place to help us, most of us cannot, will not be able to maintain the effort needed to accomplish such an outcome.
“If you are persistent, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it.” – Harvey Mackay
The quote above applies to some of the world’s greatest athletes and leaders. The people who have made a real impact and left their mark are not necessarily the most talented or the most intelligent; they are just the most consistent.
Michael Jordan, one of the best basketball players of all time, didn’t make his varsity team on the first try. Throughout his career, he counted the number of times he failed. For instance, his team lost 300 games, and he missed the game-winning shot 26 times. Rather than letting his disappointment derail him, he used it to motivate himself. Along with being persistent, he was consistent – practicing day after day, honing his skills, and getting closer to reaching his goals. His consistency was key to his success.
Being consistent is the difference between successful people and people who are not successful. If you go to the gym one time, work out, then go home and look in the mirror, you will see no physical results. If you go to the gym the next day, go back home, and look in the mirror again, you will still see no physical results. But if you are working out for a purpose and feel that it is the right course of action for you to achieve that purpose, you will stick with it and in three or four months when you look in that same mirror at home, you are bound to see at least some physical results. Why? You were persistent and consistent.
Consistency is about repetition. It’s about doing the same things repeatedly time after time to reach a goal. When you are consistent, it means you are dedicated to carrying out an activity or completing a task. It means that you are clear on what you want to accomplish and are taking steps to reach your goal. To be consistent is a commitment that you must make to yourself as well as others. It is about keeping your work to carry out what you have agreed to do. Your level of consistency reflects your values and standards.
When you are consistent, you are doing what is required of you to achieve a better outcome.
To be consistent in ways that allow for GREATNESS, you must make a commitment to GREATNESS.
Through the act of making a commitment, you can then adopt habits and behaviors that serve as channels for your own creative power and inherent GREATNESS to come forth in the most amazing manner possible. The trick, though, is to adopt the right habits and behaviors.
With Genuineness,
