Consistency is in the sauce

My grandmother died of Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. One day, when the end was near, she asked my grandfather if he loved her. He told her that yes, after 66 years of marriage, he still loved her as much as on the first day. She replied: I love you too.

My grandmother never spoke again. She passed away two years later, and part of me wants to believe that she knew as she spoke her last words.

I asked my grandfather what their recipe for success was. He told me, quite simply, that in 66 years, there hasn’t been a single evening without a sauce with his dessert. I smiled. For him, that was love: sauce with his dessert every night.

Since 66 years of marriage is certainly a success story, we can try to find the lesson in this story. In my opinion, it’s a lesson in consistency. It’s not the size of our actions that matters, but rather their consistency and the intention that motivates them.

From Everest to the Sahara and when I ran across Canada, it was this same simple, even quaint, rule that got me to the finish line, one step at a time. But simple doesn’t mean easy. You have to learn to focus on the process, on growth habits that are often lacklustre. We also need to make learning the ultimate goal, rather than seeking the glory of the summit.

Today, I help leaders and their companies take the next step to create engaged cultures and avoid unintentional complacency. Recently, during a preparatory meeting for a motivational conference, a customer said to me, ” All I want is for everyone on the team to take one tiny step further, but every day. ”

His wish is well-founded, and the impact of his realization could propel any company forward. From someone who’s not good at sports and who’s run across Canada: it’s amazing how far you can go when you do a little every day.

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Last month, my grandfather also passed away. Three years without sauce with your dessert is surely a long time, but many of us believe that tonight, they’ll be eating their dessert together, and with sauce.