8th April 2010
The secret of success is consistency of purpose.
Benjamin Disraeli
It is not how many projects we start which is important. What is even more important is the level of our commitment which is reflected by our consistency. Earlier I gave the example of a person hitting a stone ninety-nine times and the stone breaking when he hit the hundredth time. It is not the hundredth hit which broke the stone, but the ninety-nine hits which preceded the hundredth and the last hit!
Sometimes we become too restless to see the result of our activities and we give up at the slightest sign of failure. Impulsively we start some project and our initial enthusiasm wanes after some time. There are also occasions where our resources become inadequate to continue the project or our colleagues withdraw their support.
But the winner is one who does not quit. Leaders do not quit and those who quit cannot be the leaders. I am tempted to quote James Corbett:
Fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round – remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped. - James Corbett
Over this weekend list the projects you have been pursuing and arrange them age wise. For example I have been jogging for the past ten years, doing yoga for the past eight years; learning piano for the past seven years… etc.
This list is your consistency index!
N C Sridharan
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