Have you heard the story about the hare and the tortoise? Where they both have a race and the tortoise wins?

The hare races off as fast as he can thinking that the tortoise has no chance whatsoever of winning him in a race. But before the finish line he decides to stop for a little rest. Maybe because he’s tired or because he’s showing off but he decides to stop for a bit and he ends up nodding off.

Meanwhile the tortoise has been slowly plodding on, just keeping on putting one foot in front of another. And though it seems to be taking him quite some time he is making steady progress. So much so that he sees the hare having a nap and quietly passes him which puts the tortoise in the lead.

Just before the tortoise passes the finish line the hare wakes up and notices what is happening but even though he goes as fast as he can he’s unable to catch up and the triumphant tortoise wins the race!

I love the story and the moral of it because I think it’s a lot like that in life, don’t you?

Life is so fast paced these days that we want everything to happen right now, we can’t wait, we seem to have run out of stamina for things.

Maybe it’s your weight and you want to lose say two stone as soon as possible. So you try every quick fix diet but it never seems to last or you can’t sustain it. It’s a common story I know, from other people and from personal experience! But quietly in the background is that other person who is just plodding on losing maybe half a pound a week or whatever. But then you see them a year later and they’ve lost all the weight and they’re like a different person because they’ve stuck at it and never given up.

Or whatever other goal you may have it applies just the same.

Maybe it’s a fitness goal, finding the job of your dreams, doing up your house, becoming more confident, nurturing that perfect relationship, or whatever else you might desire or want to change.

So who’s the winner here?

The one who goes all out straight away but can’t sustain the pace and either quits or has to stop for a while to rest? Or the quiet plodder in the background who just keeps on putting one foot in front of the other, slow and steady, until they get there?

I’m a great believer in congratulating any achievements, whether large, small or even tiny. You always get more of what you focus on, positive or negative, that’s just how it is. The Reticular Activating System in our brain sees to that fact.

So if you’re a person who worries about negative things happening or things going wrong then, guess what, that’s exactly what you’ll get. Whereas if you are an optimist, a positive person who sees the good in things then that’s exactly what you will get too, more good in your life.
Try it and see. I promise you that’s what happens, it’s a biological fact of how our brains work.

So what I’m trying to say to you is this.

Celebrate the achievements, however small. Always look for the positive in any situation (there’s always a positive even if it’s just a lesson learned). Be realistic around timescales and adjust them if you need to, there’s no rush. But above all, keep going. Just keep plodding on!

Because you only lose when you stop.

Don’t wear yourself out at the beginning.

Slow and steady wins the race in the end!

Ps. If you would like help to make changes or to improve your life in any way then feel free to contact me for more information and details of any special offers.
Change can be difficult, but it’s easy when you know how!