Each decision we make, at any given moment, often has to do with what the payoff is.

Why should I eat that grilled chicken breast and broccoli instead of my favorite slice of pizza? What will happen if I get up today at 6am to workout? Go to lunch with friends?

We have so many decisions each day that have to do with tradeoffs. It is how well we can visualize our ultimate success, and how valuable it is to us, that determines each decision we make (for the most part). So the difficulty becomes, when we compare the short term payoff with the long term. Short term is often immediate, we want that extra hour of sleep, that delicious bit of pepperoni and cheese, the social aspects of going out with friends. These are so clear in our minds, because they are so close in terms of when we are rewarded by them.

So in the heat of a single moment, when we are faced with what we desire NOW versus what we may dream of in the future, often our immediate urges and desires win…this is where consistency plays such a key role in how successful we become.

How many meals each day do we eat the right thing? How many days of the week do we stick to our eating plan? How many weeks in the month? Each little step is so critical as it builds upon the previous and creates the momentum that propels us further at each new milestone.

So is it only about how tangible the end goal is? How vividly we can see it or believe it? Sometimes, for some people it is. These are the people you see who suddenly become “on a mission”, where there is literally nothing that will get in our way. Some of our documentary subjects have this unique mindset, and it isn’t something we can always find in everybody. That’s why success is often so random from one person to the next.

The answer is, well, at least for now, is that we must re-engineer our lives to ensure we can consistently make the right decisions. This comes from a lot of very critical thinking and a TOTALLY different kind of self-awareness. In order to reduce this seemingly random behavior, where sometimes we make the right decisions and sometimes we do not, here are some things we must do:

1) Take a good look at what things (and people) consistently tempt us day in and day out. Is it one of our best friends, who loves to go out and relax at the local happy hour every Tuesday, and who does their best to convince you to go? Do they always order a big plate of nachos that stares you in the face even when you are trying to resist the temptation? Faced with such temptation on a consistent basis, we most surely cannot consistently make the right decision for any long stretch of time.

So we need to change the equation, and remove the temptation from our lives.

Does this mean ditch our best friends? Well, that’s more complicated to say yes or no. But you have to be truly honest and aware of the temptations that are causing you to be inconsistent with your behavior, when you are trying to accomplish something. Instead of being victim to someone else’s negative influence, try imposing a postive influence on others who may need a change anyway. In some cases you just have to be up front with people who drag you down, and tell them that things have to change if you are to keep them in your life (at least for now). Or ask them not to order an appetizer anymore if you are going to hang out with them…make them aware that their behaviors will in some way impact what you are trying to do, no matter how good your willpower is today.

2) Find the people who remind you of what you are trying to do. Have a new appreciation for the nagging friend or mentor. Embrace it. These are the people who will change what you do for the better, on a consistent basis. They may send you a txt message to your phone to remind you of what you need to do, or suggest a quick trip to the gym on an evening that you are planning on being lazy. These people affect our split second decisions and make us do the things we SHOULD do more consistently. Don’t underestimate the power of suggestion, and find the people who will change the outcome of your decisions for the better. The real hard part is not resenting the people or the nagging - because when we want to do something really bad, the last thing we want to hear is someone telling us what we should do. Well, just remember that the more people that push you in the right direction, the more consistent you’ll be…you won’t always do the right thing, but more often you will!

3) Create your own reminders, to keep you focused. Sometimes this feels weird and goofy, because we are restating our goals to ourselves and putting up pictures and sayings that just remind us that we are trying to accomplish something. Put a picture up of something you are aiming for. The more you do this, the more you will be reminded that a decision you make today impacts the long term outcome. It makes you stronger, and keeps your decisions more consistently focused on your goals.

4) Reverse engineer your bad decisions. Sounds weird, I know. But if you take a look at a bad decision you made on a meal, or why you skipped the gym today, and try to figure out why…you can often come up with a new strategy to ensure you become more consistent in making the right decision.

Did I mention how important consistency is?

Now, get to work!