I’m sure you’ve read Aesop’s Fable about the Tortoise and the Hare.
The over confident hare challenges the tortoise to a race and the tortoise accepts. The race begins and all that’s left at the starting line is the tortoise and the dust from the hare.
The hare gets halfway through the race and decides he has time to take a nap. Meanwhile, although tired, the tortoise keeps up his pace. The hare awakes to find that the tortoise has not only passed him, but has already crossed the finish line.
A real life example of the Tortoise and the Hare is the 1983 Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon.
At 61 years of age, a man named Cliff Young wins the race. The race is 544 miles long and it takes Cliff 5 days and 15 hours to complete. He smashes all previous records of anyone running between Sydney and Melbourne by two days.
His secret? His competition sleeps while he stays awake and “shuffles” his way across the finish line.
We’re constantly bombarded with messages that promise the silver bullet to our problem. If we only do or purchase this advice or product, then we’re going to get from point A to point B (you just need a major credit card of course). It’s this microwave mentality: press a button and you’ll receive your result in 30 seconds. Don’t worry about working hard. You should take a break, you deserve it.
The problem is, most everything we do in life and that’s worth anything, takes hard work.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a difference between working hard and being smart about what you work on.
For instance, if you’re just starting your business it’s okay to be the person packaging your products. At this point it’s worth it. Not only do you to document a system for the future, you have zero customers, which means you have zero money. Now five years down the road is a different story.
Back to the tortoise and the hare.
After over four years in business, I’ve seen many competitors and other businesses fall by the wayside. The common theme is their mentality of the hare. They make a quick dollar at the expense of their customers. They are rewarded for the short-term, and don’t realize the mistakes they’ve made until it’s too late.
When you’re working in and on your business, make sure you have the mindset of the tortoise. Focus on the next step. Constantly analyze and question what you’re doing daily and why. Don’t purchase the next big marketing video series that promises your business will be worth a million dollars in 30 days. It won’t work. Why? Because good things take time.
Work hard and forget about the hare, we’ll pass him soon enough.
Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got to get back to my shuffle.
—
The Tortoise and the Hare:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tortoise_and_the_Hare
Cliff Young and The Young Shuffle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Young_(athlete)#The_Young_Shuffle
