This is the sixth in our series on the 10 C’s to Building Momentum.
We’ve all heard the story of the tortoise and the hare. The hare took off full throttle, and the tortoise very quickly fell behind. Though the odds were stacked against him, he didn’t give up. He just continued, slowly but steadily plodding forward. As you know, the hare began to tire from the pace and considered it a given that he would win, so he decided to take a little break. The tortoise, on the other hand, just maintained his steady pace.
In the end, the steady plodder won.
Most start the new year like the hare – full speed ahead, ready to conquer the world. But right about now (the middle of January), they begin to lose momentum. They have tried to do too much too fast and find themselves overwhelmed. Usually by the end of the month, they give up altogether.
On the other hand, there are those who began the new year like the tortoise – with a very realistic and measured plan for the year. Chances are, they will still be going strong at the end of the year, having accomplished more in the year than those with grandiose ideas but no workable plan to carry them out.
As with any story that has stood the test of time, there are lasting elements of truth within this story. Here are the lessons of the story of the tortoise and the hare.
1. Be consistent. You don’t have to run until you drop to win a marathon. In fact, if you try to go at full capacity for the entire race, you will not even finish. Training for and running in a marathon takes steady, consistent conditioning over time, and you must run at a very measured pace.
2. Don’t stop. Simply keep going. No matter what, keep moving forward. There may be days when you are sick and you will need to slow your pace. That is certainly advisable. But each day, taking just one small step toward a goal will get you thirty steps closer to it in just one month.
3. Release perfection. Perfection says you must be able to do it all at once and perfectly or not at all. It says you must have everything ready before you start. If you want to own a business, you will have to release perfection, or you will never even start. It is impossible to do all you think you need to do every day. Learn to be content with getting just one to three things accomplished toward your goal. Though it seems small, over time, it yields incredible results.
If you find yourself running out of steam like so many right about now, slow your pace. Take a deep breath and focus on moving just one step closer to your goal today. I know a business owner who accomplishes a great deal in any given timeframe simply by moving the ball forward in each area of the business just a little each day.
In life…and in business…we can all benefit by being more like the tortoise and less like the hare.