Darren Hardy author of The Compound Effect recently sent out a newsletter A question he asked was ;
Do you leap to a fast start but quickly get distracted and off track, if not even drop out of the race entirely?
I thought about this and compared it to when I first started my own business.
Truth be told there have often been times when I have done exactly that. Started out well and slowly lost momentum, feeling as it I was wondering aimlessly with no plan or direction. This had also caused me to consider giving up many times in various instances and quite often after starting my own business opportunity.
No one told me starting my own business would so tough . I kid you not, there have been several occasions in the past where I was as close to dammit at giving it all up.
BUT …
I didn’t – I am still here, loving every minute of my life, satisfied with the decisions that I made and enjoying working on my business.
What stopped me from giving up, after all giving up is really so easy, a simple decision and it’s all over. No more complaining clients and prospects, no more learning new marketing strategies, no more thinking for myself. I could just sit back, get a job, wait for the monthly paycheck and continue down the road of “mediocrity”
Oh no no no.., any one who really knows me understands that I am simply to stubborn to give up, I have this bull dog streak in me that just wont let go, this inner belief that that I deserve a fantastic life , my children deserve to have me around more often and running my own business from home provides me with the lifestyle that a 9-5 job will never match.
I ‘m hoping that many of you have either read, watched or heard of the children’s fable “ The Hare and the Tortoise” often referred to a one of Aesop’s Fables.
If not; here is a shortened quick version of the story that I found.
So what has a tortoise and a hare got to do with giving up – read on, let the story unfold.
The Tortoise and The Hare
There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could run. Tired of hearing him boast, Slow and Steady, the tortoise, challenged him to a race. All the animals in the forest gathered to watch.
Hare ran down the road for a while and then and paused to rest. He looked back at Slow and Steady and cried out, “How do you expect to win this race when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?”
Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep, thinking, “There is plenty of time to relax.”
Slow and Steady walked and walked. He never, ever stopped until he came to the finish line.
The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise, they woke up Hare.
Hare stretched and yawned and began to run again, but it was too late. Tortoise was over the line.
After that, Hare always reminded himself, “Don’t brag about your lightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!
I love this story ( one that my dad , bless his soul often used to tell me ) only now the message is a lot clearer.
1.) Know your outcome ( The tortoise although slow knew in which direction he was heading
2.) Take action – He moved confidently in the direction of the finish line
3.) Stay the Course – He was steadfast in working his way slowly and steadily doing what needed to be done to achieve his outcome.
4.) Remain focused – We often become distracted, lose interest or deviate from course – keep your sights on the goal posts.
5.) Recognise and acknowledge the Milestones – Acknowledge your small success’s in your home business – these lead on to bigger ones.
6.) Have fun in the process. ( see video attached )
7.) Be proud of being a YOU – even though slow, the tortoise knew his strengths.
The moral of the story : The tortoise always wins. Why? Because he or she is relentlessly consistent. It’s not how fast you start; it’s how long you endure. Consistency is one of the core fundamentals of success.
Keep yourself constantly motivated and steadfastly consistent and when you feel that you’re losing momentum in your business try, using these 7 insights to motivate you – building your business slow and steady.
Slow and steady does it..
Brenda Tsiaousis
Email : BrendaTs@BrendaTsiaousis.com
Brenda i love everything about this post! I can relate to having days when you just want to throw in the towel, but we keep going 🙂
Powerful nuggets here, Brenda! I could definitely make good use of them in my daily business-building efforts! thanks for sharing…
Very cute! I love this analogy. I seem to think of this everyday how I can have the right amount of momentum has the hare, but be as consistent as the tortoise. Thanks for your inspiration.
This is a great reminder. You often see the ‘hares’ all around you, and you wonder what’s wrong with you. The truth is, the answer is nothing. The majority of the time, those ‘hares’ quit just as fast as they started. Slow and steady [consistent] (no matter how painful) does with the race.
Brenda! Thanks for sharing your insights and your 7 principals on your home based business. Keep it rolling!
Hi Brenda, this is my favorite post of the week. I love how we can take life lessons and convey them in a way that become meaningful to everyone.
Great post Brenda about the importance of always keeping a consistent pace. Thanks for sharing this immense value in such a simple way that everyone can relate to.
Great post. An oldie but goodie I think!
Consistency is one of the key elements to any form of home business. When you’re the boss, the only person who is going to gee you along is yourself.
Loved the Silly Symphony by the way.
Hi Brenda,
It’s amazing how much you can we can learn from a simple children’s fable. Now i don’t feel that ashamed anymore for watching cartoons. Simple things hold strong meanings, and this is a perfect example.
The tortoise had determination and didn’t underestimate its opponent. It wasn’t afraid to work for the win, and in the end it paid off.
Thanks Marcie. I think we can learn much from story telling and fables. Great to have you visit my blog, be sure to pop around for some more insightful articles to grow your online home business.
It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you’re going to finish. In our industry, the consistent marketer is who is going to ultimately win. I love the story of the Tortoise & the Hare. It contains some awesome philosophies that we all should adopt. What I took from it is that you should never boast about how great you are. Let that come from other people’s lips and not yours. Also, too much sleep is not good. My favorite book talks about how poverty will overtake people who like to sleep too much.
Thanks for sharing, Brenda. Awesome video too 🙂
Thanks for sharing your insights on this Etieno. Its great to have so many different perpectives.
Hi Brenda,
Love the analogy! Ellie Drake also made an analogy with the ‘Turbit’ and the ‘Rabtle’, mixing the body and head of the 2 animals to create the most effective animal! That is, the body of the hare, and the head of the turtoise! (I’d written a post about this a while ago…)
Thanks for sharing your inspiration, it’s always a pleasure to read you!
Justine
Oooh, mmm.. got me thinking about that one.. Great modernization of the qualities of each. I have a few qualities of both but know which I would prefer to be so might have to focus a little more on the success mindset of the Turbit.