Have you ever wanted to change or accomplish something?  If so, have you ever written down goals in order to enact that change?  It has shown that when people verbally and physically write down their goals they are more likely to accomplish them.  This is the same for when people tell others they are close to their goals.  This is not only for the accountability that a close friend or family members can provide but also an internal pressure of wanting to do what you said you were going to do.  Also, if you are a person that has told a friend or family member you were going to do something and did not do it how did that make you feel?  Some may feel a sense of regret, disappointment, or frustration but those are only the internal feelings.  Going even further imagine how that close friend or family member thinks or feels about you.

When we tell someone one thing and do another, we are living an inconsistent life and it can have drastic affects.  A person who is considered inconsistent is seen as “indecisive, confused, tow-faced, or even mentally ill” (60) all being poor personality traits.  On the other hand, someone who is consistent in what they say, and their actions are a sign of “personal and intellectual strength” (60).  While most consistency is seen as being a positive a stubborn consistence can be negative.  Stubborn consistency “allows us a very appealing luxury: We really don’t have to think hard about the issue anymore” (60).  This stubborn consistency is a sign of laziness to understand the environment around us.  Instead of listening to other opinions we just say and do the same thing to be consistent even though it may be wrong.

Consistency is a fascinating subject.  It can control our lives in many different ways without us even knowing.  When we write something down whether at be a goal or an idea it becomes a part of identity even if we don’t believe it.  This is because the principle of consistency and once someone learns about an opinion, we may have we force ourselves to stick to that opinion just to stay consistent.  If we were to go against our own opinion, idea, or goal it would show that we are inconsistent and as stated in the second paragraph we would be seen as indecisive, confused, two faced, or mentally ill.  In the image I placed above Dwight is a salesman of a paper company.  He is the boss Michael Scotts right hand man, but Dwight goes behind Michaels back to try to take his position as the boss.  When Michael finds out about this all the good loyal aspects of his right-hand man were erased.  He forced Dwight to stand on a desk in the office with a sign that said liar on it in order to show everyone else he is an unloyal person and should not be trusted.  In later episodes another situation occurs where Michael thinks Dwight is going behind his back when he is in fact not and Dwight is fired anyway.  This shows how an inconsistency can impact a person’s life.  While there are many other factors that the consistency principle offers it is important to remember to be consistent in your actions, but be open to others opinions in order to not fall into the trap of stubborn consistency.