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Consistency

How consistent are you in your approach to life? Is consistency important?
It is a question that I found myself asking recently when things weren't quite going as planned.

How consistent we are in our approach to life and other people helps others to understand us, to understand what we enjoy, what we live for and why we are who we are. It also helps others to see how people can help one another along. Inconsistency can cause people to have a confused opinion of us, or even to find us threatening, self centered or untrustworthy. An inconsistent approach to how we handle and manage ourselves can put doubt in people's minds about our motives, goals and direction. So to enable us to convince those around us that we are good to know, and that we can help, requires a consistent image, or does it?

A lack of consistency does not necessarily mean that someone is hard to trust or believe. It may mean that in actual fact, they are highly focused on helping you with your desires or needs. Sales is all about matching a person's needs with a product or service. Those who sell well seek to match their solution to an individual's needs. Their approach may be different to each and every person they meet. As a result they will be inconsistent in their approach.

It seems to me that what matters is the basis of inconsistency. By that, I mean that if our approach to someone is inconsistent but genuine and 'from the heart', then more often than not, the inconsistency does not get in the way of a developing relationship. The heart has a way of fostering trust.

So next time someone shows behavior towards you that seems inconsistent, maybe you should give them the opportunity to show you whether what they are saying or offering you is genuine and heartfelt?

After all, inconsistency and change is the spice of life and the natural way of things.

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