Why Consistency Is Key for Creative Success (And Ways to Achieve It)

When it comes to producing winning content or other creative outputs Salma Jafri, video strategist, consultant and speaker, knows a thing about how important consistency is to your creative success.

Whether it is textual content creation, video content creation, podcasts, or other creative endevor, you need to maintain consistency to succeed. The more consistently you show up and share your creative work, the more trust you earn from your audience and the better you become at your job.

Consistency allows for practice; practice makes perfect, and that ultimately brings success.

But, as we all know, people don't always stick to their resolutions or commitments because they run out of time, they find the commitment too taxing, or a dozen other reasons. Jafri says these are all excuses that you are better off leaving behind.

According to Jafri, there are some effective mindset shifts you can use to cultivate consistency. Mindset shifts can help you stick to a more consistent schedule without overworking yourself.

Mindset Shifts for Consistency in Creative Outputs

Here are seven key steps and mindset shifts that will help you be more motivated, disciplined, and committed to stay consistent in your creative projects.

1. Prioritize what is important.

Pick your top three priorities and focus on those. Remove what is not a priority. There is only so much room at the top.

2. Know your “Why” for being consistent.

You will be more motivated if you know exactly why you need to be consistent. What are your goals? Turn your vague ideas of success into concrete goals, actionable results you want to achieve. If you are a vlogger, for example, maybe you need to stay consistent so you can get 5,000 YouTube subscribers that’ll allow you to get brand sponsorships. Knowing that will keep you sufficiently motivated, committed and consistent.

3. Decide if you are a professional or an amateur, and act like it.

Steven Pressfield in his book “Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work” writes, “The professional does not wait for inspiration; he acts in anticipation of it. He knows that when the Muse sees his butt in the chair, she will deliver.” If you decide you are a pro, you need to act like it. Be a professional. Turning pro is a decision to which we must re-commit every day.

4. Self-validate.

Amateurs look for outside validation to continue creating, while professionals self-validate. Make sure that the reason you do what you do is a self-fulfilling reason. It has to matter to you before it can matter to your audience. Pursue a creative path that you actually love.

5. Do what you can with what you have, where you are.

Don’t wait for perfect conditions to start creating. Start now and move on from where you are. Done is better than perfect. The only person you need to be better than, is the person you were yesterday. As Pressfield warns, “The sure sign of an amateur is he has a million plans and they all start tomorrow.”

6. Surround yourself with the right people.

Be around people who will motivate you, challenge you and inspire you. Join a supportive group of people, whether online like Facebook groups or offline, who are doing what you want to do. They will motivate you to stay on the creative course, keep you accountable to your commitments and maybe even collaborate with you to ensure you achieve your goals. As an African Proverb about the value of collaboration and team work says: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

7. Believe in yourself – wholly and completely.

All of these tips will come to naught if you don’t believe in yourself. If you don’t believe you can succeed, then you won’t succeed. If you don’t believe you can be consistent, you won’t be consistent. If you don’t believe you are good enough, you are not. But, if you believe you can be anything you set your mind on, you are right. What you can perceive, you can achieve.

Put you mind into it regardless of setbacks and “failures.” Failure is only an opportunity to try again more intelligently and more resolutely. It should not stop you. If you keep trying, showing up, eventually you will succeed. And people will believe in you because you believe in yourself and in what you do.

Check out Jafri’s video below to learn more.