Happy Tuesday, everyone!

It’s a rainy day here in the Five Boroughs. A very warm and rainy day here, perfect for cuddling up in bed with hot chocolate and a good book. Or maybe you’re someone who prefers to take advantage of this warm weather by spending the day outdoors. In either case, you do you. No judgement in my corner.

If you had the opportunity to have dinner with Jeff Bezos to ask him about his billion-dollar secret to success, I’m sure that he would give you a variation of these three cornerstone answers: (1) Hard work. (2) Dedication. (3) Sacrifice.

Yet, no one talks a lot about the fourth cornerstone in that foundation of success: (4) Consistency.

Now, consistency is very important in regards to helping you achieve success. In fact, I would argue that it is even more important than the previous three answers because it is what keeps you successful. The ability to be consistent is what separates the Oprahs, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos of the world from the Billy McFarlands (Magnises & Fyre Festival), Bernie Madoffs (Ponzi scheme), and Doug Evanses (CEO of Juicero) of the world. Being persistent in the pursuit of consistency is what gets people the corner office with all the perks. In short, if you can’t deliver the peak results on demand every single time…in today’s economy, you’ll be replaced by someone or SOMETHING who can.As I always say: “Persistence is the key indicator of consistency, for what someone works hard to get, they work even harder to KEEP.”

But when you’re in the midst of a low period, though…….consistency is, quite understandably, incredibly difficult to maintain.

I mean, how can you be expected to produce the same stellar results day after day, week after week, month after month and so forth when you’re in one of the worst periods of your life?

The answer is simple: Know your limits.

We all know that the ultimate mantra of super millennial everywhere is #NoLimits, and that’s fine. The #NoLimits mentality has inspired us to reach new heights beyond what our parents ever imagined for us, and it is our rallying cry when we need to crush our goals. However, when things hit the fan and you’re in a place where you have no desire to be in without an end in sight, sometimes, you have to make peace with the fact that limits exist for a reason.

Keep this in mind: I’m not saying that you shouldn’t keep pushing forward regardless of what heartbreaks and tragedies you may be going through at the moment. You absolutely should. However, the key to producing consistent results during that time is knowing when to take a break and replenish yourself. You can’t run on empty forever. Sooner or later, your engine will stop in the middle of the road after burning through the last dregs of fumes.

If you must do work of any kind during times of despair, know that there will be times when you have to stop and acknowledge the fact that you are not in a healthy, emotional state. You will have to feel the feelings. You will have to cry in the bathroom, write in your journal, offer a prayer to God for help or strength to get you through things, release a woo-sah, whatever. Furthermore, please realize that doing so does not make you weak. Rather, it strengthens you. Why? Simple. Releasing pent-up and pain renews the body, mind, and spirit. Releasing these previously avoided emotions allows your worst fears to happen so that you can move on and focusing on your tasks at hand. Most people believe that consistency is about recreating the same results for the rest of your life. Rather, true consistency is the ability to maintain the same level of effort to produce greater and greater results over time. You can’t produce greater and greater results if your energy is depleted on all fronts.

So…take that time to cry if you have to. Go on that vacation you’ve been dreaming of. Eat the croissant. Whatever you need to do to replenish yourself…just do it.

And watch yourself soar.