You might have heard the saying: If you are persistent, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it.

This statement describes professional golfer Jordan Spieth to a tee. Spieth was the defending champion of the Masters golf tournament. He led this year's tournament for the first three rounds and had a five-stroke lead going into the final nine holes. Then things began to fall apart. He proceeded to bogey two straight holes and then had a disastrous quadruple bogey on the 12th hole from which he never recovered, losing the tournament to Danny Willett.

Spieth was anything but consistent. Willett was less volatile with his scores. He made 15 birdies and eight bogeys during the tournament. But more important, five of his birdies came during the final round, with no bogeys. In short, Willett was more consistent, which is why he won the tournament.

Everyone wants consistency, whether it regards running a business, investing, supervising employees, dieting, exercising or parenting. Consistency develops routines and builds momentum. It forms habits that become almost second nature.

For example, think about one of your goals. It requires consistent effort to push toward that goal. If you are not consistently focused on achieving it, you will likely fall back into old habits or lose interest. Being consistent is the difference between failure and success. The late Jim Rohn, entrepreneur and author, said: "Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals."

Leadership guru John Maxwell said: "Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time."

Consistency is especially important in business. Restaurants, for example, must be consistent, because customers come in expecting the same good food all the time. If they slip up even one day, they lose customers. Consistency establishes reputations.

In any business, customers expect the same standards. The last thing people want is to be surprised -- they want predictability. Let's face it -- we live in an unpredictable world. When people get what they want, they are happy and will return.

Managers and leaders must be consistent in their behavior and attitude. This sets a good example for employees and eases concerns. If bosses are inconsistent, it can waste valuable time for both employees and customers. That's why trust is built upon the foundation of consistency.

Even the most committed employees become bored doing routine work. It's hard for a leader to inspire people to do these tasks well; it's even harder to create a sense that this drudgery is important to the organization's larger goals. This is true even in exciting vocations like firefighting. Battalion Chief John Salka of the New York City Fire Department suggests some interesting solutions in his book "First In, Last Out."

One of the dull parts of a firefighter's life is inspecting buildings for fire code violations. Most firefighters join the department for the high-risk activity of fighting fires; however, inspections and paperwork seem miles from where their enthusiasm lies.

Salka accompanies his crews on their inspections to encourage them to take this low-risk activity very seriously. Throughout the inspection, Salka pulls his crew members aside and asks them how they would approach the building if it were on fire right then.

Soon, the firefighters are taking the inspection as seriously as if it were a real fire. After all, the problems they miss in an inspection may come back to "burn" them if a fire starts. The people you lead do better in real-life situations when you show them the significance of even dull tasks.

Mackay's Moral: Don't be resistant to being consistent.

Years ago, my father sat me down and gave me what was some of the best advice I have ever received. It had nothing to do with making money, but everything to do with getting ahead in the world. It was self-help advice that really focused on helping others.

He told me I would never have any trouble finding opportunities. And he told me that between 20 and 25 percent of my time should be devoted to this pursuit.

"Volunteer," he said. Not exactly music to the ears of a broke, fresh-out-of-college, aspiring millionaire. But as I have come to appreciate, he was dead-on right -- AGAIN.

Volunteering has made my life so much better, and I suspect that anyone who has become passionate about a cause will tell you the same thing.

People who do volunteer work and help others on a regular basis have a healthier outlook on life. They are inclined to be go-getters, and consistently report being happier and more contented.

It doesn't matter whether you are young or old, a student or a professional, working your way up or at the top of your game. Needs abound wherever you are.

Let me give you a few examples. Bridget is a full-time college student. She works part-time too. She was feeling like she had a full plate until a professor asked for a few volunteers to help tutor elementary school students who were struggling. She figured she could spare two hours a week, and guess what? The former "undecided" major is finishing an education degree and preparing to be a student teacher. Volunteering helped her discover her passion, while she was helping little kids discover their abilities.

My pal George was looking toward retirement, knowing he couldn't play golf seven days a week. He had built a great company, overcoming plenty of obstacles along the way. He was a trusted mentor to dozens of young entrepreneurs. He had been very active in his community and cared about the people there. He got involved in the development of the local history center, and even agreed to be the volunteer director. He's busier now than ever before. I have to schedule our golf games at least a month in advance! The community is benefitting tremendously from his leadership, but he says he's really the one reaping the rewards.

If you still think you are too busy to share some time, ask yourself these questions:

-- Are you looking for an opportunity to help? Sharing your talents doesn't diminish them; it often enhances them.

-- Are you interested in learning a new skill? Every organization has a job or two that no one really wants to do -- so take on that chore! You will learn something new, but more importantly, you will discover that you can do all kinds of things you never thought you could. What job is usually the hardest to fill? Fundraising. You'll hone your sales skills while you help a worthy cause.

-- Do you like to meet new people? Volunteering offers the chance to make some new contacts and develop some great friendships.

-- Do you need to sharpen your skills? You can learn how to run a meeting, prepare reports, serve on committees, supervise others, and a thousand other skills that you may not be able to learn in your occupation.

-- Are you in a rut, in need of a fresh perspective? You will see a whole new view of the world when you step into an organization that is struggling to help those who need it most.

-- Are you ready to have some fun? No one said helping others had to be drudgery. Helping clean up a park, planning a community celebration or calling bingo at the senior center can be a great change of pace from a desk job.

-- Do you want to make a difference? Volunteer at a place that is desperate for help. You could be the one person who really can make all the difference.

And please remember, volunteering is a privilege. If you think doing good deeds will make you look like a hero, think again. Approach volunteer work as a chance to be useful, and be grateful that someone thinks you are up to that task.

Mackay's Moral: Don't just make a living, make a life worth living.

Ah, the joys of spring: longer daylight, budding flowers, farm babies and, of course, opening day of our national pastime, baseball. What a thrill to go to the game and "root, root, root for the home team."

I've found that a day at the ballpark can also be very educational. In the game of life, baseball teaches us a lot of lessons. Here are a few classics:

Know what business you're in. -- Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew once recalled playing in the yard with his father and brother. While the three were roughhousing, Mrs. Killebrew rushed toward them exclaiming, "You're tearing up the grass!"

"We're not raising grass," Mr. Killebrew replied. "We're raising boys!"

Don't assume it's as easy as 1-2-3. -- A brand-new Little League baseball coach called a friend for advice. The friend, who had coached everything from soccer to track with his kids, told him, "I always started by numbering the bases."

The new coach was surprised. "What do you mean?"

The friend explained that the first year he coached Little League, he laid out the bases and had the kids line up. "To warm up, let's have everybody jog around the bases," he said. And the first four kids took off toward third.

"Ever since," he said, "I've numbered the bases and explained that you have to run them in order. You'd be amazed at the number of kids who go from first to third by cutting across the pitcher's mound." Never assume people know what's obvious to you. Explain what they need to know.

Reputation is precious, and character is priceless. -- The great Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams was nearing the end of his career when he had a bad season due to a pinched nerve in his neck. He said he could hardly turn his head to look at the pitcher. For the first time in his career, Williams batted under .300.

At the time he was the highest salaried player in sports. The next year the Red Sox offered him a new contract for the same salary. When he received the contract, Williams sent it back with a note saying that he would not sign it until they cut his pay.

Williams said: "I was always treated fairly by the Red Sox... Now they were offering me a contract I didn't deserve. And I only wanted what I deserved."

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. -- Mickey Mantle, the great New York Yankee outfielder, once said: "During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,900 times. You figure a ball player will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball."

Since Mantle is regarded as one of the greatest hitters of all time, his statistics provide some perspective about the failures and mistakes that life hands us from time to time.

Don't be too quick to offer unsolicited advice. --

One afternoon when American League baseball umpire Bill Guthrie was working behind the plate, the catcher of the visiting team repeatedly protested his calls. Guthrie endured this for three innings. But in the fourth inning when the catcher started to complain again, Guthrie stopped him.

"Son," he said gently, "you've been a big help to me calling balls and strikes, and I appreciate it. But I think I've got the hang of it now. So I'm going to ask you to go to the clubhouse and show them how to take a shower."

Always remain optimistic. -- Not long ago, I stopped by a local playground to watch a Little League baseball game. I asked one of the youngsters what the score was.

"We're behind 16 to nothing," he answered.

"I must say, you don't seem discouraged," I said. "Why is that?"

"Discouraged?" said the boy, "Why should we be discouraged? We haven't even been up to bat yet."

Mackay's Moral: If you want to swing for the fences, you have to learn the rules of the game.