Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency.

As Dwayne Johnson said, “Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success.” (I love this general idea, but as long-time readers know by now, I don’t believe that “hard work” is needed. It’s okay to let it be easy.)

You have the power to change things for yourself any time you want to. It’s as simple as making a decision, setting a goal, and then following through on a consistent basis.

If there is something you want to change, you can make a start any time—you don’t need to wait for New Year’s Day.

A few months ago, I had a video visit with my cardiologist. In general, he was happy with things—my overall health, my pulse, by blood pressure. My “good cholesterol” was great. My “bad” cholesterol was low. Everything looked fine—except for my triglycerides.

My doctor observed that my triglycerides could probably be pulled back into line without medication, which is great. I just need to exercise a bit more. Which is how it happened that the next day—a Wednesday morning—I got up and started to do five minutes of exercises.

I’ve done them almost every morning for the past few months now. I keep track of them in my bullet journal as part of a habit tracker.

The exercises I have been doing are basically five minutes of old-school calisthenics; things like sit-ups, toe touches, and squats. They raise my heart rate, and tone my muscles. And I’ve started seeing results like better muscle tone and improved stamina.

It will be another few months until I do the blood work to see if this is helping my triglyceride levels, but whether it is or isn’t, I think I will keep this morning routine. It only takes a few minutes, and is helping me feel better. I feel like my consistency is paying off—and all because I made a decision on a Tuesday to add exercises in, and got started on a Wednesday morning.

Not on the first of the year, or even the first of a month: just a plain old middle-of-the-week morning.

Just a few weeks ago, I made another change in my daily habits. I knew that I wanted to raise my mood, so I decided to resume my gratitude journal, which had fallen by the wayside last year.

I started my recent gratitude journaling on a Friday. At first, I considered waiting for the start of a new week, but then I remembered that any day is a good day to start something new. Why wait until Monday?Taking those few minutes each day to jot down what I am grateful for has helped me to focus on the good, and to look for good things each day that I can add into my journal. 

The point isn’t that you need to exercise, or that you should start a gratitude journal (though if you want to do one or both, have at it). The point is that success comes from deciding to make a change, and sticking to it consistently.

If you decide to make a change, there are things you can do to support yourself and ensure that you are successful. 

First off, create a new goal for yourself by making a decision. Deciding is a powerful action, and it goes far in making a change. Not waffling, not “thinking about”, but deciding is key to starting a new habit or behavior. Even so, deciding is not enough to assure your success.

Once you have decided on a goal, the next step is to write it down. The act of writing a goal down pulls an idea out of the ether and draws it into the real world, if only on paper. 

Your goal could be a change in another habit, such as reading more, watching less TV, limiting social media to two half-hour visits a day, cutting back on smoking or alcohol, drinking more water, writing a poem every day, packing your lunch at least three times a week . . . Whatever it is, first decide, then write it down.

Once you have made a decision, how do you support your success? 

My number one tip is to write it down every single day. 

The simple act of writing a goal down every day helps keep your mind focused on it, even if it’s not always a conscious focus. Neuroscientists note that we remember things better when we create or generate them ourselves, so writing down your goal each day is a tremendous way to remind yourself that you are serious, and to help your brain stay on track. 

Writing down “I will be the #1 salesperson at work” or “I will pack my lunch three times a week” or “I will put $5 from each paycheck into savings” is a great way to keep your goal front of mind. If it’s a goal within your own control, such as the exercise one, it reminds you to do it. If your goal relies on other things happening to make your dream come true, it helps you to spot possibilities and connections throughout the day. 

If you want to supercharge your goal even more, lots of experts advise that you write your goal down as if it has already been fulfilled. So instead of “I will be the #1 salesperson at work”, you would write “I am the #1 salesperson at work.” 

You can tweak other statements in similar ways, such as “I pack my lunch three times each week” or “I put aside $5 from each paycheck in savings.” By removing any wiggle room from how you state your goal, you truly own that action. 

My second tip is to set up a goal tracker for yourself.

A goal tracker is essentially the same thing as a habit tracker. (I’ve got a free printable Habit Tracker for you here.) You can set one up in your journal or on a piece of paper by writing down what the goal is, then adding boxes for yourself to check things off. 

Taking the paycheck savings example, you might write down the dates of all your pay checks, then add a check mark for each time you add $5 to your savings account. For something like packing your lunch, you might create a simple grid for yourself to check off each day that you meet your goal. 

No matter what your goal is, you are more likely to stay on track and meet it if you actually track your progress. Whether you track it daily or weekly, staying focused on the goal and on whether you are sticking with it makes your continued progress more likely.

Finally, celebrate your success, even if it is small.

Whether it’s doing a happy dance, putting a sticker on your calendar, or having a celebratory cup of tea, celebration provides positive reinforcement and encourages you to stay on track. 

Since energy flows where attention goes, tracking goals is a phenomenal way to pay attention. It’s a way of keeping the focus on the goal you have set, so that you follow through with your plans. Consistency will get you success with your goal.