You become consistent by counting every action as a win and dropping the guilt for what you miss. I call it the +1 or 0 Momentum Strategy. Anything you do is a plus one and anything you skip is a zero. Four parts keep the streak alive: commitment, awareness, triggers and accountability.
- Score every action as a plus one and every skipped item as a zero.
- Binary thinking takes the emotion out of the process, so action gets easier.
- Consistency runs on four parts: commitment, awareness, triggers and accountability.
- Start with a simple 21 day challenge you can track where you see it.
What is the +1 or 0 Momentum Strategy?
The +1 or 0 Momentum Strategy is my way of scoring growth so you only ever move forward. Each thing you do earns a plus one. Each thing you miss is a zero.
It came from coaching high performers who arrive with good intentions, like publishing content, building a morning routine and meditating. Life keeps adding to the list, and they score every miss as a negative one. I created this strategy in my own life to get out of a scarcity mindset and out of living in negative one.
Everything I do is a plus one. What I don't do is a zero.
Think of your list as a menu, a get to do list. Picture a day where you get to two of the ten things on it.
- Negative one scoring You only got two of ten done, so you live as a negative eight. Guilt and judgment pile up, and you burn out.
- +1 or 0 scoring You added two plus ones to your life. The other eight are zeros, and you are no worse off.
What is binary thinking?
Binary thinking is my name for seeing a choice as a one or a zero. A one serves you and your vision. A zero does the opposite, so it goes. It removes the emotion from the process, and emotion often clouds your judgment when it is time to act.
I found it at the start of my entrepreneurial journey. I had just quit my sales job and was making zero dollars, and I asked myself one question: what will help me accomplish my goals faster, positivity or negativity? Positivity was a one. Negativity was a zero, so it was out of my life.
Consistency works the same way. Today you either did the thing or you did zero, and it is way better to take imperfect action than to take no action.
Why is it so hard to stay consistent?
Most people lose consistency through a lack of awareness. You can do anything one day in a row. Somewhere between day seven and day 18, a boat party, a game or family stuff comes up, and you simply forget.
When a friend or client tells me "I forgot," I know the hole in their boat. The question becomes: what is your process for remembering?
How do you become consistent step by step?
- Write down what you want. Be very specific about what you want to be more consistent at.
- Declare who you are. Flip "I am not consistent enough" into "I am a model of consistency." You already get dressed, drink coffee and brush your teeth every day. This is how you change your identity.
- Commit all in. This one matters most. An all in commitment changes your story.
- Build awareness. Put a post-it note on your bathroom mirror, your desk or your computer. During 75 Hard I had the app, I had it written down, and I triple checked it.
- Create a trigger. A friend of mine takes a picture every morning when he works out. The next day those pictures remind him: I did it yesterday, so I can do it today.
- Layer your accountability. Track it, share it and tell a friend. Then score the day as plus ones and zeros.
On your growth journey, the only world we live in is plus one. If you do something, you get a plus one. If you don't do something, you get a zero.
Rob Cressy
How do you start small with a consistency challenge?
Pick the simplest action you can find and give it a number of days. A coaching client once asked me for more consistency in multiple areas of life, so I created the 21 day grounding to the earth challenge. Once a day for 21 straight days, you touch the earth with your bare feet or your hands.
On day four I was lying in the grass and the light bulb went off: consistency can be easy. I had written one through 21 on my whiteboard and crossed off each day. A friend got a text every time my feet touched the earth.
Short streaks are the training wheels for the long ones. Seven, 21 or 60 days prepares you for what 10 years of consistency can create. Find more to try in these 30 day challenge ideas.
Where does consistency pay off the most?
| Area | What I did consistently |
|---|---|
| Reading | As a new entrepreneur I kept hearing that the average CEO reads 60 books a year. I was reading zero, so I read for 30 minutes first thing every morning and kept it going for more than a decade. |
| Identity | Every morning, before I let the world in, I spoke my "I am" declarations. The first one was "I am infinite love." |
| Fitness | In my twenties I committed all in to fitness as a lifestyle and worked out five days a week. When I look good, I feel good and show up with more confidence. |
Do this today
- Write your menu. List three to ten things you would love to do. Tonight, score a plus one for each one you did and a zero for the rest.
- Start a 21 day streak. Choose one simple action, write one through 21 where you will see it, and cross off day one.
Listen to the episode
The Power of Consistency is Undefeated
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Read the full transcript
If you want to create massive growth in your life, the number one thing that you can do is be consistent because the power of consistency is undefeated. What's good? It's Rob Cressy. And right now I'm inspired by a post that I saw on Facebook last night from my friend, Drewbie Wilson, who shared how he takes a lot of confidence. He takes a picture every single morning at like 5 a.m. when he's working out.
And the reason he does so is because he used to be 300 pounds and he wanted to change his life and he doesn't particularly enjoy working out. And by taking a picture every single morning, boom, that's his ability on the very next day to see all those other pictures of him being able to put in the work and be consistent. And if I did it yesterday and if I did it yesterday and the day before, I can do it today. And of course, in the process, Drewbie changes physical appearance, changed his life and so much growth and success came from it.
And when I read that post and when I read that post and saw it, man, I was so inspired and I am all about that life. And it's why I wanted to share this because the power of consistency absolutely changed my life and can yours too and can create everything you want in your life.
So let's break this down formulaically. Number one, there's a great book about this that really helped me, The Power of Consistency by Weldon Long. And the one thing that he said that stood out to me, it was like, you know why most people don't achieve their dreams? Because they just don't spend enough time thinking about them. And as we speak, we're sitting here at the end of November and a lot of people in about a month are going to start thinking about their New Year's resolutions. But for the average person, they think about how they can improve themselves once, two weeks later, boom, they never think about it again.
The good news for you is you are not an average person and neither am I. So we as the best in the world, we say, hey, here's the ways that I want to improve myself this year. And then we can read our dreams, our goals, our vision, our identity statements every single day. One versus 365. Which of those two people do you think is going to reach their full potential that is going to make their dreams and their goals and their vision happen faster and happen period?
So it's very simple. We understand this. It's not like we're asking you to shovel rocks every single day. It's like, no, you've got this thing that you would love to change or create more of in your life. Cool. Let's do it every single day. So here's how I've really helped create the skill or the habit of consistency.
Number one, and this is the most important, even though Tim Grover says everything's labeled number one because it's all most important. Because it is, but this is absolutely the most important. Number one, your commitment. And this is about all in commitment. So for my friend Drewbie, the reason why this was so powerful for him, because he committed to changing his life.
And so often, and I can certainly feel this, because I've got this story for myself too in my own way, where you get to a point in your life, in some situation where you say, listen, I'm tired of living this way or being this way. I am committed to changing. And with that all in commitment, you are no longer the person that you used to be because you're changing the story. You're changing your identity. So number one, commit all in to this change. And you're going to have a lot of all in commitments as you look at the various buckets and areas of your life in which you want to improve and be more consistent.
Because number two then becomes the awareness of this. Because for a lot of people, one of the challenges of consistency is, oh man, I totally forgot. So if we're going to take a page from what Drewbie did, every single morning, boom, 5 a.m., he's taking that picture. And he's also posting that on social media, one, for himself, but also, two, to inspire other people. And that becomes an awareness practice where you're like, all right, I see it. I see it. I see it.
It's why some of the simplest things that I do when I coach around in personal growth and development is around awareness. To where you say, hey, in your bathroom mirror, just put a post-it note on your desk, on your computer, in your kitchen, whatever it is. Whatever it takes for you to create that consistency. Because if any of my friends or clients ever say to me, I forgot, immediately, I know the hole in their boat. I'm like, you should never forget. Those words should never come out of your mouth. I forgot. Why? Because I got a hole in my boat. Because what is your process for not forgetting?
And for me, I learned this with 75 Hard. When you're all in on that program, there is no way I'm skipping anything. So I've got the app. I've got it written down. I'm triple checking it. How bad do you want this? How much do you want to be that best version of yourself? To reach that potential. To change the life of yourself and your friends and your family. Boom. What are you willing to do? Boom. I'm going to put post notes everywhere. I'm going to have awareness stuff.
And really, the next level of this becomes triggers. Your ability to turn one thing into something else. So for Drewbie, he's creating that awareness practice of, hey, I'm taking a picture every single morning. But at the same time, that's also a trigger. All right, I'm up early. I've got to work out. I don't want to work out. So I'm going to take a picture because I know tomorrow I'm going to sit here and feel like this. And I want to have that awareness that I am that dude. I am that girl who makes this happen. So you can turn, I'm about to get my workout in or I'm done with my workout into a trigger for a new action.
Because ultimately, all of this is about accountability. That consistency is simple and it can be easy, but it can also be hard because of the levels of accountability you get to create in yourself. Once again, how bad do you want this? Not hard, just a series of do this, do this, do this, do this. But the challenge for most people is comfortable is always comfortable. It is super simple for you to stay exactly where you are right now. Why? You don't have to do anything additional.
But this is why we as high performers, those of us who want to be the best versions of ourselves, we have world-class systems and processes all the way down to how we create consistency in our life. Because once again, the power of consistency is undefeated. It's why we say, show me your habits and I'll show you your life. The things you do every single day are going to create what it is that you are living like.
So there's a few areas in my life in which I've just seen exponential growth by leveraging the power of consistency. And as a framing for this, I am 12 years into my personal growth and development journey. I think it's 12 years. And I was not this person. I was not self-aware. I did not have a growth mindset when I was working in corporate America. And I was not about this life. And it wasn't until I went to zero, I went all in on being a full-time entrepreneur and creator and making my dreams happen that some of these things started to come to me or I learned them or I started to implement them. And I learned about the power of consistency.
Because the reason why I show up like this and the reason why I'm sharing this right now is number one, one of my declarations is I am that I care the most. I care about myself, my dreams, my goals, my vision. And I care about you. If there's something that I've learned on my journey that can help you on yours, man, I want to share that with you. Because all along the way, so many people, whether it's podcasts or coaches or programs or courses or books, whatever it is, so many people have helped me. So if I've seen the light, some of my friends have seen the light, I'm going to share some of that your way and hopefully shoot some fire in you if you want to create some of these things for yourself.
So for me, the number one thing that changed my life with the power of consistency was creating a reading routine. So when I'm at the very beginning of my entrepreneurial journey, I'm not this person. And I subscribe to like Inc. Magazine and Fast Company because I'm this brand new entrepreneur. I'm like, all right, let me start living in the entrepreneurial world. And I kept hearing the same thing over and over again. The average CEO reads 60 books a year. And after hearing that five, 10 times, I was like, crap, I'm reading zero. I should do something about this.
So if something is important enough, you will always find time to make it happen. When is there always time? For me, first thing in the morning. I legitimately see me reading a book every single morning on the opposite side of my dreams. So Rob, if you read, you can make your dreams happen because that's what's happening to all these people you aspire to be like. So that's why for the last 12 years, every single morning, weekends included, I've read a book for 30 minutes first thing in the morning.
Boom. It immediately guarantees I'm better today than I was yesterday. When number two primes my mind for abundance and success. All right. Positive inputs. And then number three, plant seeds for long-term personal growth. Yeah, we're going to win on the short term. But man, what do you think happens when you read for 30 minutes at a time for 12 straight years? Man, you read a lot of books. You learn a lot of things. You create a lot of growth in your life. That single thing right there changed my life. And if you do not have a reading routine, man, I highly, highly encourage this. And of course, I do it first thing in the morning. That way there's no excuse for why it does not happen. It is that important for me.
Number two in this would all be around creating your state of being, your identity, the self-talk and who you are. And for a lot of us, this is called the I am statements or the I am declarations. And we have the ability to design the story that we tell ourselves. And this is so important because the second that we wake up and open up our phone and turn on social media, email, the news, work, TV, you name it, the world is going to start shooting arrows at us of fear, judgment, comparison, self-limiting belief. Hey, it's Black Friday. Hey, it's almost Black Friday. What about this sale? What about all this? Everything vying for your attention, creating these stories in your mind.
Well, guess what? You want to create this fortress inside of yourself that says, wait a second. Before I let the world in, I want to design what the best version of me looks like. So for example, and I've talked about this often, and this is foundational to my coaching. And for example, here's my first declaration every single morning. I am infinite love. And I think about my son waking up in the morning and being like, daddy. And I'm like, man, it is not possible that I could be happier and more full of love than I am right now with this. I'm like, man, I love myself. I love my wife. I love my clients. I love the ability to create. Boom. I just soaked that thing in. Boom. Locked it in because it becomes speak, see, feel. This becomes an embodiment practice.
Well, guess what? How do you think I show up every single day if the very first thing that I do is anchor into myself that I am infinite love? Then you can go through the other series of declarations and I am statements about, wow, what are the other things about myself that I want to make sure to plant in myself? I am a force of attraction. I am built for this. I am a greatness extractor. I'm a hero maker. I am nothing and everything. Boom. There's just so much goodness in this. So this is the power of consistency around creating your state of being and who you are, your identity.
And the last one here, and of course there's more, but the one that had such a massive impact on me is the power of consistency with working out. And for me, working out is about creating a lifestyle of fitness because I'm somebody who believes in earned confidence. And quite frankly, when I really look at the root of this, because I'm someone who did not work out consistently for a long, long time, but it wasn't until, I don't know, it's probably 18 years ago that I got out of a serious relationship and I was going to be back on the market as a young 20 something kid. I was like, I got to look good because I'm going to be back on the market.
And in that, I created an all-in commitment about making fitness a lifestyle where I'd worked out five days a week, every single week since then. Not because I love working out. Not because I'm some sort of bodybuilder. I'm not. No. Because I wanted to look good because when I look good, I feel good. When I feel good, I'm more confident and I show up some way in the world. And that mindset right there allowed me to create a power of consistency in showing up every single day.
Because fitness for me now, having done this 18 years in a row, is something that is an identity. This is who I am. This is how I live, of course. We, the best in the world, those making our dreams happen, those on a journey for greatness, of course we're going to invest in our personal health and well-being. That's what the best in the world do. And one of the phrases that I love to or that I've heard that I enjoy, it's like, you really just don't see a ton of 400-pound millionaires. Why? Because part of being a leader is our ability to show up in all areas of our life.
And for me, I was not showing up on the fitness side of things. It's something that's probably resonating with a lot of people because we might ebb and flow and we don't have that consistency. And maybe it's working out or maybe it's in reading or maybe it's in some other areas there. But guess what? Let this be that sign you're looking for to say, wait a second. I'm ready for that all-in commitment, for that positive change because when I do, the power of consistency is undefeated.
And as we head into the final month of 2024, my encouragement for you, audit your consistency. Number one, celebrate where your power of consistency is undefeated. Undefeated, man, so good because so many of us as high performers, we do things on an uncommon level. And it's like, yeah, of course that's what I do. But guess what? A lot of this, very uncommon. And number two, I encourage you to audit yourself on where can you be more consistent or where would you love to create some more consistency in your life?
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