You can turn simple disciplines into massive success
Do you remember the story?
These fables are packed with great wisdom but we don’t always see the significance of them when we’re young. Its not until we’ve been around the block a few times that we begin to understand the deeper insights and lessons that the benefit of experience bestows upon us.
The fable captures beautifully the philosophies of success.
Let’s take the Hare.
I used to relate very much to the hare, always in a hurry to move forward to the next level, competitive and up for the challenge. I was even in a hurry to grow up and as I reached each significant life hurdle I didn’t take too much time to reflect back on the view or enjoy the moment, because I always had the next goal in mind. I ‘m not afraid to admit I enjoyed winning, being ahead of the pack and what that brought me. It was exhilarating but it turned me into a workaholic and it kept me on that treadmill for years.
In the end it gets you because you burnout.
There are plenty of hares everywhere you look hoping to short cut and leap frog to change their life in 3 weeks, lose weight fast, create a business and achieve overnight success. They want results in all areas of their life and they want it straight away.They think that if they look better they’ll enjoy a better life or when they get their success they can be happy and start really living.
It doesn’t always quite work like that does it?
Whilst external appearance can do wonders for our self confidence if we haven’t got that belief in ourselves deep inside of us then it’s not going to truly alter how we feel and we won’t feel fulfilled or satisfied for very long. It is in our nature to want to strive for more but what if we could learn to evolve in a different way and to appreciate the change that small steps bring?
I ‘m not against all radical transformational change programmes, after all, sometimes, shock tactics can be good for kick starting our systems . But the issue is continuity. If you’re surviving on watercress soup all week then the will power is going to fail you even if you are the most disciplined person on the planet.
The same is true for growing your business, very rarely do you achieve break through success without putting in the right foundations. You plant the seed then it has to be lovingly nurtured, watered and weeded frequently to bring it to life. If you’re lucky one day you’ll be able to harvest it but ,meanwhile, you’ve had a ball growing it.
As the age old saying goes success is not about doing something 100% better its about doing everything 1% better.Constant small steps of improvement every day by eating in the right way, for example. You’ve got to the take the action and you’ve got to be persistent. That goes for perfecting the art of being what you want to become not waiting until you have something in the false belief that you’ll then be seen to be that type of person.
Now I associate more with the tortoise, less interested in doing stuff to show off and for the external accolade. The badge that says I’ve arrived , look at me!
I’m now more aware of the importance of the journey and immersing myself in what I love to do irrespective of what comes of it. Slowly but surely I ‘m taming my ego and its liberating.Pre-planned agenda ‘s offer less opportunity to go off the beaten track and explore or just to be spontaneous in life.
Sure the tortoise moves more slowly but with more purposeful action, one step at a time, moving consistently towards the end result. The tortoise knows why he’s moving forward and the value of the tortoise is not about being the best you can be , though there’s merit in that. The tortoise teaches us the wisdom of accepting who we really are and where we are in life because the tortoise realised he’s more than good enough. The tortoise stayed the course. The tortoise is peaceful and full of serenity less concerned with comparisons and that’s an inner power like nothing else.
This fable is a lesson in momentum. If you want lasting results in all areas of your life then steady wins the race every time.
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