Recently, I attended a meeting of volunteers for a charitable organization.  The lady running the meeting had not met most of us in the room.  And most of us in the room didn't really know each other very well either.  She had a very unique way of having us introduce ourselves to her and the group.

Usually, in a setting like this, the host asks everyone to give their name, where they are from, and to "tell us a little about yourself."  This time, we were asked to tell our name and where we were from, but she only wanted us to use one word to describe ourselves.  How would you describe yourself in one word?

As we went around the table, we had several good responses.  Helpful, cheerful, hard-working, motivated, and friendly were just a few of the responses.  I was near the end of the table and that was both good and bad.  Good, because I had a little extra time to think.  Bad, because a lot of good answers were used before it came to my turn.

Trying to choose one word to describe yourself to a room of relative strangers gets you thinking.  What do I want them to think about me?  How do I want them to remember me?  When it was finally my turn, I chose the word "Consistent." 

Although I came up with my word in the heat of the moment, the more I thought about it afterward, the more I liked it.  I try to be consistent in all areas of my life. 

My family deserves consistency from me and I want to give it to them.  My wife should know that I'm not out hiking the Appalachian Trail, or on some beach in Argentina.  My kids get consistent love and discipline.  Stability at home is important to all family members.

And I try to be consistent with my running and my running friends.  If I'm supposed to meet them at "o-dark thirty" for a morning run, then I need to be there for them.  Accountability is a great motivator when running with a group.  Consistency in a training plan is also important.  If you have running goals, like I do, you need to have the discipline to not only train consistently, but to consistently push a little harder.  If you don't, you'll hit a comfortable plateau and lose your edge.

I strive to make sure my firm offers a consistent client experience.  My clients should know what to expect from me and any surprises should be positive.  The investment markets can often be inconsistent, we can't control that.  But my clients need to know that when they have a service issue or they call or message me for an answer to a question or a problem, they will receive consistent and professional attention.

So, what's your word?  I'd love to hear it.