Slow and Steady

Do you remember the old story of the tortoise and the hare? They are racing towards the finish line and the hare is so sure he will win that he got distracted and decided to take a nap. Not because he was tired. Not because it was his normal time of day to rest, but because he was being arrogant. The tortoise, on the other hand, continues slow and steady until he wins the race. He does not rest, but he does not hurry through either. 

What lessons we have to learn from these two!? 

The hare hurries in the beginning, becomes sure he will win, so he rests and misses his opportunity to cross the finish line first. How many times have you done this with your own goals? Maybe you decide you’re going to “get in shape” so you start by running a mile on day one, even though you haven’t run a mile in years. On day two you’re so sore that you need to rest. Day three hurts worse than day two, so you rest a little longer. By day four your desire to “get in shape” has dwindled and you miss your finish line. Just like the hare, your confidence in getting to the finish line clouded your ability to actually get there. Can you find other parallels in your life? Ones where you pushed hard at the beginning to reach your goals, but slowly that energy faded and you never crossed that finish line anyway? It’s not that you’re not capable. It’s got nothing to do with your ability to “stick it out.” It’s that that type of energy isn’t sustainable. You will eventually have to rest. Whether you rest because you choose to, or you get burnt out and your body requires it of you (adrenal fatigue, illness, stress-related injury-heart problems, heartburn, vision changes, weight gain, strained muscles and/or broken bones). 

Instead of embracing the energy of the hare, let’s look to embrace that of the tortoise. He knows he is slower than the hare, but he is not concerned about how long it takes him to get there. In fact, he is so sure that he can accomplish his goals, he challenges an unlikely opponent to a race. This tortoise is wise. He understands that slow and steady is productive. That slow progress is still progress. He knows small steps over time lead to big results. He does not need to rest, as his pace is sustainable in the long term. He does not need to flaunt his skill set, as his results speak for themselves. 

What does all of this have to do with you? 

As you are working towards Becoming Purely You, it takes many small steps over time. You will need to create sustainable practices and routines. You will need to allow yourself a slow and steady pace to reach your goals. You need to offer yourself some grace when it takes longer than you want to reach those goals. Change is hard. Progress is hard. Becoming a better version of yourself is hard. 

That shouldn’t keep you from taking on the challenge; just remember when you do, slow and steady wins the race. 

I will be hosting a virtual talk on Self-Care Strategies for the busy woman in just a couple of weeks. If you’d like to join me, register here!