It is the result of your
behavior over time.
Nine months ago my grandmother passed away and the thing I miss most is her consistency. My grandmother was the most consistent person I have ever known. She was a child of the depression, a war bride of a WWII veteran, a mother of four girls (two of which passed before her), an educator and an avid golfer. She didn’t have a choice in where she started in life, which was pretty meager, but she did have a choice in where she ended up. The consistent choices she made compounded over time and she ended well.
There isn’t one specific choice that anyone could point to and say, “that was it!” “That one made all the difference.” It was the consistency of each choice day in and day out that built the life she loved. My grandmother modeled for me year after year what it meant to be consistent even when it didn’t seem like it was making a difference.
That is the thing about consistency it isn’t based on another person’s reaction or any specific result. It isn’t sexy or outlandish. It is based purely on the character of the person who made the decision to be consistent. I remember sitting in a room when I was in my late 20’s listening to a retirement specialist explain the power of compounding interest. It’s so hard to make the decision to defer gratification and invest consistently in something when you are 20 that won’t pay off for 40 or more years. It takes discipline and internal character whether we are taking about investing finances or in our personal growth.
It’s easy to see people at the stage of their life where they are reaping the benefit of compounding interest, professionally, personally, spiritually or financially and say, “I want that.” It is quite another thing to look at the discipline of their life that got them where they are and say, “I want that.” There is always a price to be paid, a seed to be sown.
Here is the interesting part, something is always compounding. Relationships I’m paying attention to and investing in are growing and gaining interest, even when it doesn’t look like it. On the other hand, relationships I’m not paying attention to and investing in are losing interest, even when it doesn’t look like it.
Before my son went off to college I had consistent time with him, investing in the relationship and pouring into his life. Once he was out on his own our relationship shifted and the consistency of time investing in the relationship shifted. Luckily our relationship had a lot of compounded interest built up so I had time to figure things out. If I wanted to stay relevant in his life I needed to find a consistent way to connect with him. His world was growing and he had a lot of other relationships competing for his time and what he needed from me was very different than before.
Business relationships are no different. Something is always compounding. You are either gaining or losing ground on an exponential level. Success or difficulty in relationships didn’t just materialize today. What you see today is a result of the consistency of your behavior over time.
I’m so grateful for the legacy of consistency I inherited from my grandmother. Every time a milestone passes and I’m reminded of how much I miss her, I’m reminded of the consistency of her life. This prompts me to take a deeper look at my life to see what I’m investing in intentionally or unintentionally.
Today might be a great day to take a look at your life and see what is compounding. Do you like the results? If you do maybe it’s time to double down and invest even more. If you don’t, maybe it’s time to adjust some priorities and start developing consistency in a different direction.