Commitment & Consistency
Commitment and Consistency are the keys to success. At least according to Denzel Washington.1
He said, “…without commitment you don’t start…without consistency you don’t finish…”
Generally speaking, his advice is clever, concise, alliterative, and seems to make sense.
Simple.
But, he fails to recognize that it’s actually your Temperament that determines your success.
Platitudes like his might give you some inspiration and general direction.
But, to make them work in your real world, you have to implement them in ways that are consistent with your Temperament. You have to completely personalize them to match your own uniqueness.
And, of course, that means you have to know everything about your Temperament and how to personalize everything in your life to be in alignment, synch, and harmony with it.
The Problem: It's One-Size-Fits-All
As platitudes go, Denzel’s is a good one, I think.
However, like most platitudes, it’s rather meaningless in the real world.
The Commitment/Consistency idea is a “one-size-fits-all” solution or piece of advice.
Sadly, one-size-fits-all never works. We’re all individuals. No two of us would implement the one-size-fits-all advice in exactly the same way.
Of course, we think we could. It sounds so easy that we think we know how to do it.
The reality is that there are very few people on Earth who know how to take one-size-fits-all advice and personalize it for their unique individuality.
Ask yourself this: Do you really know what makes you tick? Why
you’re the way you are? Why do you act, react, and interact with the world the way you do?
The vast majority of people don’t know the answers to those questions. They’ve never thought about it. They don’t even “get” the questions. Do you? Honestly?
Because if you don’t, then the chances of you being able to take any one-size-fits-all advice and use it effectively are very thin.
The Solution – Knowing Your Temperament And How To Use It For Your Success
The solution starts with your Temperament.
Per the dictionary, your Temperament is your “Nature.” Especially how it affects, impacts, and influences your behaviors.
Here’s my personal definition:
It’s how you’re Hardwired For Life.
It’s what makes you Tick.
It’s your innate, unchangeable nature. It’s in your genetic system including your DNA. You can’t change it.
It’s your natural, innate driving force. It’s your most important and powerful asset if you know what it is and how to use it. It impacts everything in your life.
It’s critical that you get yourself in alignment, synch, and harmony with your unique Temperament.
If you’re not using it to your full advantage, then you’re fighting against it. There’s no middle ground. And, it’s a fight you can’t win.
Fighting it causes untold and undue stress. It’s often the cause of failure or not doing your best.
Unfortunately, if you’re not aware of your Temperament, then you’re likely to attribute many failures or less than best efforts to other things. And then waste time, energy, and money trying to “fix” those other things that are, in reality, only symptoms.
When you’re only looking at symptoms, you put yourself in a “false problem followed by non-solution” loop. It stands in the way of you ever getting to the real problem and the real solution. And, it prevents you from ever reaching your full potential even though you may think you have.
The real problem – the underlying problem – is frequently not knowing and using your Temperament to your full advantage.
Up To The Full Potential Of Their Maximum Success...
Examples – The Power of Temperaments, The Commitment/Consistency Formula, And Your Success
In the following examples, I’ll quickly show you how each of the four Core Dominant Temperament Types™ should approach the Commitment/Consistency formula. We’ll see where each Temperament Type will have trouble (so they can anticipate it and plan to mitigate and manage it), and also where and how they’ll each be able to implement it most easily in their practical, real-world, everyday lives.
Let’s say each one of the Four Temperament Types wants to follow
Denzel Washington’s advice regarding some “New Thing” in their lives. Something new that they believe will make them happier and more successful.
Yellow Phlegmatics – Practical Peacemakers – Prefer Life To Be “The Easy Way”
If you’re a Yellow Phlegmatic (“Yellow”) you’re likely to have an immediate issue dealing with the “Commitment” part of starting your New Thing.
Yellows are typically not comfortable making either changes or decisions. This isn’t a judgment or criticism. It’s a fact. It’s a matter of well established, common Yellow Traits.
If you’re Yellow, the traits of being uncomfortable making changes or decisions are encoded into your DNA just as much as your eye color and fingerprints are.
You’re also going to have problems with the “Consistency” part – at least at first.
If a typical Yellow starts their New Things and finds that it’s pretty hard to force themselves to keep doing it, they’re likely to stop.
If you”re Yellow, you prefer going through life the easiest way possible. You’ll try to avoid or eliminate as much stress, conflict, and facing new challenges as you can. You prefer to take the course of least resistance. That includes hanging on to the status quo. It’s where your innate nature makes you feel safest.
Both Commitment and Consistency will be challenges for you Yellow Phlegmatics. Being aware of your natural tendencies in advance will alert you to the fact that you’ll have to muster up plenty of courage, willpower, and determination to make your New Thing work for you.
Blue Sanguines – Energetic Enthusiasts – Prefer Life To Be “Fun & Flexible”
If you’re a Blue Sanguine, you won’t have a bit of trouble starting your New Thing by making the Commitment to it. In fact, you’re likely to get wildly excited, hyped up, and even giddy about it.
You get excited by New Things because you get easily bored with routines and old things. You love new adventures, exciting things in your life, and spontaneity.
You’ll commit to your New Thing quickly and with everything you have. Plus, you’ll tell everyone you can (family, friends, neighbors, strangers) about it, too…with great enthusiasm.
Then, when it comes to the Consistency part, you’ll be likewise enthusiastic…at first.
However, your focus and enthusiasm are likely to wane quickly. Especially if your New Thing isn’t overflowing with fun and excitement. The routine of it will start bugging you and may soon bore you.
As a Blue, you have traits encoded in your DNA and Temperament Type that compel you towards living spontaneously. You’ll see new opportunities crop up and feel like you’ll be missing something fun if you don’t grab them right now. Your natural tendencies include impatience, quick “gut-level” decisions, and always wanting new fun. Those natural traits are likely to overcome the willpower it takes to remain Consistent with your New Thing.
Blue Sanguines will Commit right away with all their hearts and the best intentions. But when Consistency becomes boring or too routine, they’re likely to move on to some other new thing. Forewarned is forearmed.
Green Melancholies – Accurate Analyzers – Prefer Life To Be “Disciplined & Patient”
If you’re a Green Melancholy, you’re likely to have an easier time with the Commitment / Consistency formula than any of the other three Temperament Types.
The biggest problem you’ll face (the same one you almost always face) is simply getting to the Commitment stage. You’ll be fine once you get there.
A few of your genetic/DNA encoded Temperament Type traits include being naturally analytical, thorough, logical, cautious, and inclined toward perfectionism. This isn’t a judgment. It’s not good, bad, right, or wrong. It’s simply the way your DNA is encoded and reflected through your Temperament.
So, when it comes to making the Commitment to your New Thing
(or any other new thing), you’ll feel compelled to analyze, research,
investigate, consider, reconsider, and then reconsider again before you actually make a Commitment and take any action.
Once you finally commit to your New Thing, you’ll be a Consistency super star. Green Temperament Types are well known to be self-disciplined, patient, and lovers of routine.
The Consistency part will be easier for you than any of the other Temperament Types. It’s your sweet spot. Or, as I like to say, it’s in one of your Temperament Power Zones™.
Green Melancholies have the patience and will take the time to think about and analyze the risks and rewards of the New Thing before committing to it. Once Committed, they’ll have no problem Consistently following through even if it’s difficult or takes a long time.
Red Cholerics – Powerful Producers – They Prefer Life To Be “Fast & Furious”
If you’re a Red Choleric, you’re the most aggressive of the four Temperament Types. You love leadership, being in charge, and getting things done. You’re bottom-line oriented and impatient.
You also make quick decisions and have an abundance self-confidence.
These are all common Red traits that are encoded in your DNA and reflected to the outside world through your Temperament.
Therefore, when any good New Thing presents itself to you and you like it, you’ll quickly jump on board with a full Commitment.
You’ll also be Consistent in doing it or getting it done as long as it doesn’t take too long. Impatience is another innate Red Temperament trait. It will compel you to get your New Thing done fast. If it takes too long, you’re liable to abandon it and move on to something else on your long and ever-changing multi-tasking list.
Red Cholerics have the quick decision-making gene to adopt their New Thing project with no hesitation and Commit to it instantly. Because they want to get things done quickly, they’ll jump right into the Consistency phase and will stick with it until it’s done. Unless it takes too long. Their impatience often sabotages their willpower. If it takes too long, they’ll drop it and move on to something else that seems more promising at the time.
The Bottom Line...
See the problem here?
The one-size-fits-all platitude that success in any New Thing takes Commitment and Consistency is OK as far as it goes. It generally covers the “what.” But completely ignores the “how to.”
And, if you don’t know your Temperament Type and where your strengths and weakness are with regard to the Commitment/Consistency idea, your own DNA encoded natural traits and characteristics are likely to sabotage your best efforts at making your New Thing work.
Each of the four Temperament Types (“Colors”) has to face ”how-to-make-it-work-for-me” in their own, unique way.
Each has their own unique challenges to deal with. Each has their own powerful assets to use, too.
The truth is that one-size-never-fits-all never works in real life. How could it? Every single individual is innately unique.
Although there are four Core Dominant Temperament Types that help us group people into four broad categories that share an abundance of similar natural traits and characteristics, each individual within each category is still unique.
You are unique. Your genetics/DNA/Temperament make you tick. And, yours are not identical to your mom’s or dad’s or mine or anyone else’s.
Unless you already know, understand, embrace, and know how to align yourself and use your unique Temperament Traits and Characteristics, you might try the Commitment/Consistency formula (and/or anything else in your life) and fail at it for one or more reasons based solely on the way you’re DNA/genetically encoded. Solely on the way you’re hardwired. Solely on the way you tick.
Although such failures wouldn’t be your fault, you’d be likely to feel like they were. That thinking might then inspire you to look for the wrong solutions.
How could you look for the right solutions when you weren’t accurately identifying the right problem?
It wouldn’t be surprising if your self-inflicted stress levels went through the roof following unwarranted self-blame and harsh self-judgment
You’re automatically more likely to succeed (at everything) and less likely to suffer harsh self-judgment and undue stress when you know your Temperament and how to use it.
You will invariably be unjustifiably hard on yourself and often confused about why you do many of the things you do if you don’t learn about your Temperament.
Unbeknownst to you, it impacts and influences just about everything you do, think, and feel.
One of the most important things you can do for yourself, your success, your peace of mind, your life, and your lifestyle is to learn about, get to know, and harness the power of your Temperament.
For More On Your Temperament...
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Click Here to get more Personal Growth information about your Temperament and the Power of Temperaments in general at The Power of Temperaments Academy Website. www.PowerOfTemperaments.com
References, Resources, & Credits:
1. Denzel Washington On YouTube – Commitment & Consistency
2. Size Does Not Fit All Photo: www.proschoolonline.com
3. Boy On Ladder – Climb To The Sky Photo: Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash