The Need For Change: Why Being Persistent Is More Important To Me Than Being Consistent

For only having been in business for about 6 years, I feel like this is my 75th time announcing a big change to The Confetti Bar.

And there would have been a time when I felt extra self-conscious about it. Like, what will people think of me for changing things up yet again. Will they think I’m wishy-washy? Will they think I’m unreliable? Will they think I’m being inconsistent and therefore somehow less worthy of respect or loyalty?

I used to think consistency was something to strive for. I used to think it was the key to being successful in any type of measurable form. Heck, I’ve even claimed it as a top contributing element in some of my own endeavors.

That’s why I felt particularly anxious for the past year since taking a step back from the business to re-focus…I guess I thought my inconsistency would come across as unprofessional or immature in some ways.

I worried I wasn’t posting on social media enough (or at the right times). I worried people would think I disappeared. I worried I wasn’t creating enough. I worried the business would just crumble down around me while I was taking the (necessary) time to figure myself out.

As you can imagine, all this worry did was keep me further stuck in my own overthinking loop as I worked through feelings of doubt about the new products and design of the site.

But the other day I read an article on confidence by Benjamin Hardy that helped me have a lightbulb moment.

Consistent vs. Persistent

While I’ve always believed that change is inevitable (I’ve even been quoted as saying “things change” as a truth when interviewed during a podcast), I guess I thought of it more as an unavoidable byproduct of life, rather than something to intentionally strive for.

Now, however, I think pursuing change is actually a brilliant way to live.

You see when I thought consistency was the way to accomplish anything, I really should have been valuing persistency instead.

While not an inherently “bad” concept, consistency, by definition, is more about being “unchanging in nature” — as ever evolving beings, though, you can see how this can actually be quite toxic for us.

Persistence, on the other hand, is defined as “continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.”

I think sometimes we get a little too caught up in doing things the “right” way (the way we think they need to be done or the way we’re told they should be done) that we can lose sight of the end goal entirely. We worry about being so consistent in our thoughts and actions that it actually starts to change who we are. We write these stories for ourselves and think they’re final, published pieces, when in reality we’re constantly works in progress — so it’s more than ok to change the storyline. In fact, it’s necessary.

The Choice to Change

There is no one, single path to achieving a goal, so we should welcome the chance to pivot and change course at any time. As long as we are persistent in our pursuit of something, the journey doesn’t have to be consistent. In fact, it’s in moments of change we often learn the greatest lessons.

As Hardy notes in the article linked above, “Every little choice you engage in shapes who you are. Who you are shapes your future. Every choice, then, has an enormous cost.”

Rather than let life dictate change for us, we can make the choice: Do we want to grow, or do we want to stay stuck?

Sure, there will always be challenges beyond our control that will no doubt change the landscape of our lives, but the choices we make in the wake of them are just as integral as choosing to shake things up of our own free will.

My ultimate pursuit of happiness and color and confetti has never wavered, but any time I’ve changed products or designs or pricing or any other myriad of things with this business I was often left to feel like I was doing something wrong. (I’ve even said that consistency is a “problem” for me and tried to blame my lack of growth on my lack of consistency.)

Now, however, I’m choosing to intentionally look for opportunities to change. I never want to settle or become stagnant or stop growing. This world we live in is filled with so many moving parts it’s nearly impossible to stand still, but maybe we’re not supposed to.

I still think it’s necessary to slow down and reflect and be present in the now, but I also don’t want to use it as an excuse to stop altogether.

I, personally, no longer want to sacrifice who I am for what I think I’m supposed to do. I want to make choices that align with all the goals and dreams I have for myself and my family, and that might mean changing things up more often. Who I am today might be different tomorrow, as well as what I feel and what I want.

And this is normal.

The truth is I may not have it all figured out, but the one thing I do know I’m not going to stop trying.

So yes, we’re entering a new era of The Confetti Bar yet again, but this time I’m excited to shake things up as often as I need to. We learn through play and experimentation and experiences, so I want to do as much of all of that as possible.

Last year I made a promise to myself to make room for more of the good stuff by letting go of all the negative stuff, and I’m holding myself to that.

Changing things up is the only way to do it, though, and I’m all in.

Are you with me?