Success has many claimants. Talent and luck often compete with each other to claim credit for success. No doubt, they do play important roles but talent alone does not guarantee success. If you look around, you’ll find hundreds of talented individuals whose success does not match their abilities. Why is that? Because success requires many other pillars in addition to talent. Similarly, luck can certainly lead to success, but sustaining it can be challenging if other essential factors are lacking.

If you study any successful person, you’ll find that consistency and commitment have kept them from being unsuccessful for long. No one who is determined to work consistently can be deprived of success, although a lack of opportunity might delay it. You could attribute this delay to bad luck, but for how long? If a person remains committed to own goal, working consistently for days, weeks, months, and years without changing course, success will inevitably be the destination. Any path we choose will ultimately lead to our goal.

More often than not, when success is delayed, our commitment weakens, and consistency falters. This, in turn, affects our chances of achieving success. However, regardless of the challenges we face, if we remain committed to putting in even a small amount of effort without fail, failure becomes impossible. This principle applies in any field. Consider investing a portion of your income in the stock market every month. Stay committed to this investment. Even if the market dips, continue your efforts. A decade down the line, you’ll be amazed at the results. Or suppose you want to improve in a sport. Commit to practicing consistently, even if it’s just once a week. Three years from now, you won’t regret this commitment.

Commitment tests your determination and your ability to believe in your goals, especially during difficult and challenging times when the odds seem stacked against you. Consistency depends on your discipline to follow a set routine and put in the effort even when you don’t feel like it. If you can maintain this level of willpower and discipline, the likelihood of failure drops to zero. The timeline for success may depend on factors like your focus, the frequency and intensity of your efforts, and perhaps even talent and luck, but the outcome—success—is assured.

So, do you have the ability to commit to consistent effort to achieve your desired success?