184: Why Most People Fail at Consistency and How to Fix It

**Nick Bare** (0:06)
Today's podcast is all about how to be more consistent. And a lot of this episode, much of this episode is inspired by a book that I'm holding in my hand right now. You have probably heard of it. It is extremely popular. It is called Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you have not read this book yet, I highly recommend reading Atomic Habits. Tiny changes, remarkable results, an easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones. It's a great book. Overall, it's a book that you could reread every single year just to re-spark your habits. It's your motivation, your purpose behind creating habits. And I'm going to be referencing this book a lot in this episode. Many of the thoughts that I'm sharing in this episode are pulled directly from James Clear's work in this book, Atomic Habits. And then I'll be sprinkling on my own thoughts and experiences and practices that I incorporate in my life to be more consistent. One of the things James Clear says early on in this book, that ever since I read has stuck to me like glue, like a tick, like a leech. I just cannot get rid of it. He says, you do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. And before we jump into this episode, I do want to riff on something really quickly. And it's inspired by this quote within the book. As soon as we experience the slightest dip in motivation, we begin seeking a new strategy, even if the old one was still working. Perhaps this is why we get caught up in a never ending cycle, jumping from one workout to the next, one diet to the next, one business idea to the next. That's the problem, is that too many people, and when I say too many people, I'm not excluding myself from all of what I'm sharing today. There have been seasons of my life where I have been inconsistent in certain areas of my life.
But as a whole, I consider myself a very committed and consistent person. It is what has led me to where I am today, the success that I have achieved and will continue to achieve mainly because of the power of consistency, consistency compounds. But here's the problem, and I'll reference this quote again. As soon as we experience this latest step in motivation, we begin seeking a new strategy. Too many people, they start something new, and as soon as they lose the motivation, as soon as that initial spark in flame starts to dwindle down just a little bit, they jump to something new.
People don't stick with one thing long enough to experience the true power, the true remarkable results that consistency and habits and systems can prove in your life. You have to stick with something long enough. You have to be consistent with something long enough to actually see it turn into something remarkable, beautiful, amazing. But too often, as soon as that motivation dips, just the slightest, people jump to the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing. Now, he references in this quote, workouts, diets, businesses. I know so many people who they start a new training routine, and as soon as they become bored with it, they jump to the next training routine. They start a new diet, maybe they start the carnivore diet, or a keto diet, and as soon as they lose the slightest bit of motivation, they jump to something new, and the next, and the next. I'm sure you have these people in your life who every time you talk to them, they are pursuing a new business, a new job, a new hobby, a new passion. They never stick with one thing long enough to see it. They just turn into greatness. And I feel for these people.
I've been asking people for years, in person, on social media. I sent out surveys. I sent out a survey on my Instagram two weeks ago. And I got thousands of responses. And I asked the question, what do you struggle with the most when it comes to your fitness, your health, building muscle, losing weight, eating right? What is it you struggle the most with? And then every time I ask this question, 95% of the answers, that's no exaggeration, 95% of the answers and responses is consistency. I struggle with being consistent. I got that flame, that spark, for a period of time, and then I lose it, and I fall off. And I have to restart over and over and over again.
What makes the most highly successful people in the world different from everyone else?