Why “Be Consistent” Is Often Bullshit Advice (And How It Stifles Authenticity)

The Soulpreneur Series Free Issue No. 24

You don’t need to look far to read this oft-spouted mantra: “Be Consistent!” (when it comes to posting and building online).

We hear it everywhere. One of the mantras of the Creator Economy and a supposedly critical tool to success.

• “Post every day”

• “Stick to a schedule”

• “Show up like clockwork”

Know what this sounds like? (A job!)

• What if this ‘be consistent’ mantra is holding you back?

Consistency is comfortable. Certain. It feels safe. It’s the warm shower of routine and (apparent) certainties of knowing what comes next.

• But if you’re always consistent, when do you change?

• When do you make space for those chaotic bursts or required rest?

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My experience with “being consistent”?

It often leads to stagnation. It lulls me into a rhythm of repetition—predictable, yes… but growth-limiting, learning-limited, and progress-limiting.

If you want to level up in pretty much anything, you have to be willing to break the rhythm and routines. This means both bursts of overload and bouts of rest.

I see this in coaching youth sports through working with various individuals and organizations. I also see it in my regular creative work.

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Growth Comes from Disruption

Think about the times you’ve truly grown and/or changed. The moments when you felt alive stretched beyond what you thought possible.

Were you being consistent?

Or did it arrive like storms, surging through life in bursts—moments of intensity and fear followed by quiet, still hours?

Growth is, at its core, a form of change.

And to change, we must do something different—something beyond the familiar.

In our household, we do this every winter. Two years ago, I took our two teen boys on a 5-day skiing road trip. We skied some scary ♦♦ (double black) terrain.

We ‘forced’ ourselves to ski in challenging and dangerous terrain. But this was not out of ignorance… it was out of years of levelling up.

Change and growth are rarely about showing up the same way every day.

It’s often about moving outside of what’s comfortable and certain. Overloading yourself. Taking on challenges that force you to evolve.

‘Consistency’ doesn’t facilitate that.

Consistency keeps you in a loop, repeating the same actions and thinking in the same way (maybe even the same thoughts). And, in many cases, consistency simply isn’t realistic — and often not very productive.

Authenticity doesn’t thrive there, either.

Authenticity often lives with some disruption. In those moments when you let go of scripts and habits and lean into changes. With the scary thoughts and questions often arising with that and out of it.

Authenticity shows up when you let go of control

When you allow the mess of life to unfold as it will.

I learned this lesson firsthand when I became a parent. And even more so when I found myself raising a double-blended family. Any notions of “be consistent” burst like bubbles.

Life, and especially family life, is anything but ‘consistent.’

Our youngest, now in his mid-teens, didn’t sleep ‘consistently’ through the night until he was almost 10.

The chaos of sleepless nights, shifting demands of children at different stages, and the emotional landscapes of blended households (including through a pandemic).

It all forced me to adapt and let go of illusions such as those suggesting life follows a neat, predictable schedule.

Parenting has taught me that real change and growth come when you learn to flow with life, not against it.

The Myth of Consistency

Have you ever seen the maps made by geologist and cartographer Harold Fisk in the mid-1940s depicting the many meander channels of the Mississippi River over time?

They’re stunning.

Through soil and core samples taken over quite a period of time, Fisk was able to depict how the river channel has moved back and forth over thousands of years.

These maps were produced for the Army Corps of Engineers. Each colour and shading pattern is related to a period of time.

The river’s path has changed a lot over time, twisted and meandered across valley bottoms and centuries. Fisk’s work is an intricate dance of colours and curves, illustrating the river’s constant evolution.

Each bend and loop marks a period when the river broke free from its previous course, reshaping its path.

And that’s the point.

The river doesn’t follow a straight line. It doesn’t conform to a consistent, predictable course. Instead, it adapts, responds, and changes based on forces acting upon it.

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There is a common myth in digital circles — specifically, those participating in The Creator Economy — that consistency is some marvellous key to success.

But it’s shallow advice, built on some idea that repeating the same thing over and over will guarantee results. But life doesn’t flow and roll out that way, just as a river doesn’t.

Life is a constant flow of change. We are always in a period of transition, whether we like it or not.

Growth and authenticity, like a river’s path, require flexibility, adaptation, and a willingness to shift and change.

Following the “be consistent” mantra risks turning our lives (especially the creative aspects) into straight, monotonous channels.

All Rivers Change Course (And So Do We)

Finding success isn’t about showing up the same way every day. (Nor is at as simple as “showing up” every day — another shallow mantra in this business).

It’s often about responding to forces at play—sometimes immersing yourself completely, sometimes stepping back.

It’s about knowing when to let intensity take over and when to pause, letting the dust settle, resting up for the next thing.

Sometimes, you must overload yourself with new experiences, ideas, and challenges.

Sometimes, you must disappear, retreat, and find some silence to make sense of it all — or let things percolate and take shape.

Success, change and growth are often in the gaps between bursts of intensity. It’s not in daily repetition but in cycles of action and reflection where the soul finds its depth — or, more clearly, reveals it to you.

Try These 3 Approaches to Disrupt ‘Consistency’ Myths

1. Disrupt Your Routine Intentionally

How to Try It: Choose one consistent habit or routine that feels too comfortable—posting on social media, your daily work schedule, or even a personal ritual.

• Action: Break the pattern for a week.

Replace it with something challenging—take on a new project, switch up your workout, or engage with a different skill.

Notice how changes impact your creativity, energy, and perspective. This will help you practice stepping outside your comfort zone and leaning into the unknown. Some pretty cool things can arise there.

2. Plan Cycles of Intensity and Rest

How to Try It: Growth generally doesn’t come from constant effort but from bursts of focus followed by recovery periods.

• Action: Schedule a focused period (a week or a month) where you dive deep into a new challenge, learning opportunity, or project. Let yourself overload and fully immerse.

Then, follow it with intentional rest—block out time for reflection, journaling, or simply disconnecting. This cyclical approach will allow you to harness intensity and integrate growth during quieter phases.

3. Use a Learning Journal to Track Cycles

How to Try It: Instead of tracking daily habits, start a Learning Journal to observe broader cycles in your life—intensity, rest, growth, and reflection.

• Action: Write about what phase you’re in and what it feels like. Document your thoughts during the first two suggestions above. Make sure to revisit these entries over time.

This will help you see patterns in your growth and remind you life, like a river, isn’t linear but full of meanders and changes.

In many ways, this describes my process with Box Cutter Co. It’s a public Learning Journal where others can learn (and unlearn) with me.

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What do you think of this “be consistent” mantra?

Have you used it and experienced something different than described here?

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That’s it for this issue. Thank you to those who have become paid subscribers. You are key in keeping this work supported. If you are not a paid subscriber, please consider it.

The next issue of Box Cutter Co. will be out shortly.

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