Shortcuts and life hacks can save a lot of time. But some things cannot be rush. And the wisdom of the tortoise reminds us it’s slow and steady consistency that ultimately wins the race.
Some appear to have overnight success and it’s tempting to discover their secrets. Why take twice as long to do something when there is a faster way?
And there is some truth here.
There’s certainly a place for efficiency and streamlining a process. There’s no point in wasting time if things can be sped up.
But many things in life cannot be rushed.
In fact, when we rush, we end up building a house of cards – something that looks good on the outside but has too weak of a foundation to stand for long.
For instance, get-rich-quick schemes rarely payoff in the long run. And what appears to be a shortcut to building wealth often just leaves us with more debt in the end.
And the same is true in our work and relationships.
It simply takes time to build a body of work that speaks for itself. Yes, knowing the right people to open doors helps. But having connections to quickly move us up the professional ladder doesn’t replace the time needed to develop our craft and offer true value to others.
And when we don’t do the work we soon find ourselves in over our heads and underserving those we’re called to help.
Likewise, a lot of patience and work is still needed even in relationships that are love at first sight. We cannot rush building intimacy and a strong connection with each other. And we invite much frustration and disappointment when we expect a readymade relationship without taking the time to build one of quality and substance.
Being the tortoise is not being lazy. But nor is it being deceived by the quick and easy path.
It’s staying focused and taking the time needed to build the life and relationships we desire.
This path is not always fun in the moment. But it is much more rewarding in the end.
Learn to be the tortoise and win.
Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash
