How often do we hear the success stories of people who have just ‘made it’, whether in academics, in business, or even on the stock market. Such news is amplified on social media by influencers who boast of these achievements, as if they have come out of the blue.
What is missed is the long hours of work, dedication, planning and implementation that have gone on behind the scenes. We see the shining final product, not the mess of the struggle.
This is not to say that inspiration, or that momentary ‘aha’ moment is irrelevant. Inspiration is what motivates us, creates the spark of an idea or a reason to pursue a dream, but that is not enough on its own. Once the inspirational moment is gone, we need the perspiration to continue the dream.
Consistency is the following up on the dream — strategising, taking feedback, acting on it and documenting what worked and what didn’t. It is showing up everyday and attending to the daily grind. It is also recognising that every little mosaic will make the structure.
Breaking the big dream into bite size tasks not only makes the dream seem closer, but more achievable in the long run.
Consistency also means that recognising failures is a part of the plan. The highs and lows of life are part of the pattern — being discouraged by the lows or being taken up by the highs will only lead to momentary mood swings, not sustainable in the long run.
This does not mean that inspiration and consistency are contradictory. In fact, they are complementary and one cannot exist without the other. After all, there has to be a goal to be consistent for, and having a large purpose without a means to achieve it will not work well.
This is true at every level: think of students, corporate workers, the creative industry or the bureaucracy. There is potential for success, growth and re-invention in all spheres, but only if there is a vision and a way of achieving it.
That one great idea of being a social influencer, a food blogger or a software pro cannot become a reality at one go. Instant success is the image that we get from the public sphere – pictures of chess grandmasters, spelling bee winners and influencers with millions of followers. Deep within, we know that none of this has happened overnight but such is the power of images and the fleeting news cycle, that the victory stays with us, not the routine run-up to that success.
Inspiration is great — but not without a plan to achieve it. Consistency is how that inspiration will be achieved. It involves all the skills that are talked about — time management, networking, experimentation. Not being afraid of failing, adjusting goals and strategies is important too. In fact, inspiration is fickle – one day we have it and another day we don’t. Nothing great can come out of such fickleness.
Stephen King once said, “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work”. Getting up to work is what turns an inspirational idea into reality.
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