The downside of consistency

There’s one downside about the idea of consistency that isn’t talked about enough. Consistency, of course, is essential if you’re growing an audience on social, creating a podcast, or nurturing a newsletter. Creative consistency helped me get to where I am today. It helped me grow my newsletters and my social following, but even more importantly, it helped me hone my skills as a writer and a creator. It still does. With every rep, I learn something. I hammer out a new idea, turning it over in my mind, learning more about it. I’m passionate about it—I run a 15-day challenge to help artists and creatives become more consistent with their work. 

But here’s the downside: sometimes the importance of consistency can keep us from trying new things. As if doing something without consistency isn’t meaningful. I fall into this trap all the time. I want to start a podcast and a YouTube channel, but I know as well as anybody that they won’t grow unless I’m consistent. This keeps me from trying, because I don’t feel like I have enough time, energy, or resources to commit right now. 

Not everything needs to turn into something. Even the things that do become popular often start with humble beginnings. We can learn a lot about ourselves and about life by trying new things, if even just once. Consistency is important, and I’ll keep writing about it, but a singular focus on its importance in every circumstance is not right.