Consistency lies in the sauce
A blog article by Sébastien Sasseville, keynote speaker, athlete, author.
My grandmother died of Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. One day, as the end was drawing near, she asked my grandfather whether he loved her. He told her that he did and that, after 66 years of marriage, he still loved her as much as on the first day. She told him: I love you too.
My grandmother never uttered another word thereafter. She passed away two years later and part of me still wants to believe that she knew then that these would be her last words.
I asked my grandfather what was the secret of their success. He simply said that, in 66 years, there had not even been one night where he didn’t have sauce with his dessert. I smiled. This was love according to him; sauce with your dessert every night.
Since 66 years of marriage certainly stands for success, what lesson can we learn from this story? In my view, it’s all about consistency. It’s not about the actions you take, it’s about how consistent you are and the intention behind them.
From Everest to the Sahara, and when I ran across Canada, it’s this simple yet almost cheesy rule of thumb that got me to where I was going, one step at a time. Don’t get me wrong, simple does not mean easy. You need to focus on the process, on small growth habits that often pale in comparison to grand gestures. Furthermore, learning should be the ultimate goal rather than searching for fame and glory.
Today, I help leaders and their companies take the next step to build cultures of commitment and avoid unintentional complacency. Recently, during a preparatory meeting for a motivational talk, a client told me: “All I’m asking is that all team members take just one little step forward, and that they do it every day.”
His wish is well founded and the impact of such a realization can propel any company to the top. Testimony of someone not good in sports and who ran across Canada: It’s amazing how far you can get when you do a little every day.
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Last month, my grandfather passed away as well. Three years without sauce with his dessert was probably too much, but many of us believe that tonight, their dessert, they’re eating it together, and with plenty of sauce at that.
