First you plant the seed. Then you spend time tending to the seed – giving it what it needs to grow.

Everyday that you tend to the seed it grows – a little bit at a time. You may not see the growth in the moment but when you look back to where you started you can see the progress.

What happens if we plant a seed and then leave it? It dies. Plain and simple.

Maybe we found another seed that was more exciting and offered the promise of bigger leaves. Maybe we just got bored of doing the same things every day to tend to that seed. Maybe we got impatient because it wasn’t growing as fast as we wanted it to.

Our ideas are the seeds of our business. They are the starting point of all success.

But every time you embrace a new idea it has the power to halt your progress. It has the power to distract you from your current path.

As entrepreneurs we love our ideas. We call our friends to say “OMG I just had the best idea!” We brag about them on Facebook and tease people with their promise. We hold them close in case someone tries to ‘steal’ them from us.

(Interesting to note that no one owns an idea until they bring it to fruition – Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic is an amazing read on this topic.)

We jump at every new idea thinking that it’s THE ONE that will finally bring us what we want.

We wear our diagnosis of Bright Shiny Object Syndrome like a badge of honor, excusing us from the responsibility of completion because we had ‘another great idea.’

Ideas could be killing your business.

Consistency is what separates the leaders from the seekers.

The ability to say NO more than you ever say yes. To stay committed to your original idea even when it gets tough or loses it’s shiny glow.

To pause and explore an idea fully before taking on the commitment to ‘raise it’ to maturity.

The power of a leader lies in staying steadfastly committed to the original idea – to the vision. To ensuring that the team is working every single day towards that vision.

Consistency is the power that fuels success. It may not be sexy – but it works.

We are going to be exploring the balance of consistency and ideas in my new LEAD Mastermind – if you are interested message me for details.

#21daysofleadership #day2 #consistencytrumpsideas #LEADMastermind