You remember Aesop’s Fable The Tortoise and The Hare right?
Yet, we all succumb to moving to the beat of someone else’s drum. In business it’s the professional who suggests that if you don’t get ‘it’ done within his timeframe or if you don’t agree with his methodology or recommendations for your business that you’re not motivated or even likely to finish well.
In your personal life, someone close to you might similarly suggest that you’ll end up a failure if you don’t “fill in the blank here” follow their
advice.
Is it confidence that gives you the courage to believe in your ability to make the right decisions, after you take in all the expert advice?!? Or, is it the fear of failure that makes you buy every program and/or idea out there promising to fix you in 30 days or less?
It helps us to:
- keep moving forward no matter how tiny the steps may be, and
- understand and accept that we are ultimately responsible for determining and choosing our own path(s).
You can’t worry that Johnny The Hare is moving much faster than you are. That’s Johnny’s course of action and has little to nothing to do with how you conduct what’s yours to do. And, Tortoise? Well, like she stated when she won: “Slowly does it every time!”
And, of course, that’s not to say that many things don’t come with some sort of deadline that we must meet. On Mt. Kilimanjaro and in our 13-day coast-to-coast walk across England we had a defined amount of territory we had to cover within some very specific times in order to reach our destination.
Focus on your head and heart space – how you think and feel about the actions you must take on a daily basis. Are they for you? Or is someone else driving the vehicle that’s meant to be under your control?
It’s spring, and like nature, you’re probably poised for some kind of growth. To grow means to move, expand, increase. Sometimes I look back on all my years of striving or walking along my pathway and every once in a while I too think or wonder if I’m falling behind. Behind whom? I’m not in a race,
are you? And, if you are, hopefully you’re moving to improve your own record. But, what about the competition, you may ask? I’m listening, what about it?
The more you feel externally obligated and not internally driven, the more dissatisfied, and sometimes resentful, you become. Then, the less productive you are, and then …
So, The Tortoise looks up at The Hare and she says “Slowly does it every time”, and she adds “you just have to keep moving and making it work for you and for those you serve.”
Next time … we’ll explore “I’m Late, I’m late …”
Until then … k-e-e-p m-o-v-i-n-g!
