CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY

I set great store by consistency, believing that it is one of the key characteristics we should all strive towards in life.

On consulting my thesaurus, synonyms include reliable, steady, stable and dependable; all good stuff. In my own case what it does not take into account is my overwhelming urge for spontaneity and unpredictability; but at least I am consistent in that respect.

I juggle so many diverse roles in my life that people look at me askance, with a sense of disbelief; I am sure that on many occasions they think I must be lying.

My reason for pondering on ‘consistency’ is that perhaps, rather late in life, I have discovered that it really does matter in all aspects of our life.

As a hotel and restaurant inspector, and a judge for Taste of the West, it is all very well having a great meal or a comfortable stay but before I feel confident in recommending somewhere I have to be sure that the next time someone chooses to eat or stay there that they will have a similar experience. Sadly, this is not always the case. Most weeks I eat out five or six times, not always in a professional capacity. Although a chef by trade, I rarely cook just for myself and have a number of favourite haunts I like to visit. Pubs, restaurants and hotels are a nightmare to run and it is normal for there to be the odd blip, but if it is somewhere that I am familiar with and a meal I have enjoyed previously which does not come up to the mark I am especially disappointed.

Consistency is also important when it comes to bringing up children. In order for them to grow up to become well-adjusted adults, consistency, as long as the message and contact are positives ones, is vital. How confusing it must be for a child to be given conflicting messages about boundaries and behaviour. Parents have a lot to answer for.

I give credit for my success in the recent local elections to my consistent engagement and involvement in the communities I represent. In the current political environment, some level of consistency from our government would have been useful in allowing the rest of us to feel some level of confidence in planning our future.

When it comes to one’s personal relationships consistency can help or hinder us. In choosing who we wish to spend our time with and what activities we choose to do together will often be the result of consistent patterns of behaviour; the friend who is always late for everything, the friends who cries off at the last minute, who talks politics to the point of boredom, or the friend who is consistently there when you need a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on. With consistency you know where you stand, for better or worse.

On the negative side, during his interview at Ilminster Literary Festival recently, former MP Alan Johnson spoke of what he observed as typical working-class behaviour when he was growing up as a lad in the slums of North London…. a father who was consistently drunk, consistently beating his mother and consistently gambling away the family income.

That is the kind of consistency we can all do without.