Is there some goal you want to reach, but success seems to stay just out of reach?
Remember the tortoise?
Slow and steady really does win the race.
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My Story
For years, I have continually said I needed to lose weight.
And for years, I have continued to gain.
Many times, over the course of those years, I would make a vow to lose weight, only to abandon the goal when the weight was too slow to come off.
All the while, I would lament about how difficult it was to lose weight, and how nothing I tried ever worked.
One random day, this past spring, something clicked, and between the moment I stepped on the scale, and stepped back off, and I knew this time was going to be different.
And it has been. I’m down eleven pounds at this point and still making progress.
The only significant difference is, this time, my focus is on slow and steady.
And I am discovering that the path I chose is a great pattern for achieving any goal.
Think Like a Tortoise
Know Where You’re Going
Tortoises may appear to be wandering, but in fact, they have a very specific destination in mind.
Know where you’re going and make it specific.
“Losing weight” is a very general, non-specific goal. “Losing ten pounds” is a very specific destination.
That is the destination towards which you will continually walk, slow and steady.
Write it down, put it on a sticky, refer back to it daily, do not stray from where you want to go.
Plot the Path
A tortoise doesn’t wander aimlessly-it develops a complex mental map that guides every slow and simple step.
In other words, there is a plan.
If you want to get to your final destination, a plan is necessary.
About that plan-keep it simple.
Big, elaborate plans are pretty much destined to fail.
By contrast, a simple plan, one that is easy to stick to, increases the odds of reaching the destination.
Be Consistent
Tortoises may be slow, but they keep plodding towards their destination.
That’s the key. Simply walking on, day after day, towards a known destination.
I genuinely believe that consistency is the real key to getting to where you want to go.
Reorient
When a tortoise gets turned around in its journey, it simply reorients itself using the sun, landmarks, and scent trails, and eventually continues on its path.
At some point, you will get turned around.
Don’t use it as an excuse to give up. Simply reorient yourself and keep on going.
Slow Progress is Still Progress
They may be slow.
It may take them a long time to get there.
But eventually a tortoise gets where it needs to go.
And so will you.
When the going is slow, when there’s obstacles ahead, remind yourself, slow progress is still progress.
So, I ask you again, is there some goal you want to reach but success seems just out of reach?
Learn from the tortoise; slow and steady wins the race.
If you’ve never read the book, The Tortoise and the Hare, I encourage you to do so. It may be an oldie, but it’s a goodie.
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