Do you remember the fable? Yes, the one we read in elementary school. The Tortoise and the Hare is when the quick rabbit challenged the slow and steady turtle to a race. Determined that he will win, the Hare decides he will take a nap, but he oversleeps. In the mean time, the slow and steady Tortoise passes the sleeping Hare and wins. The morale of the story, slow and steady.
Now, to bring it to real life. A few weeks ago, my in-law’s dog Charlie comes sauntering up to the house with something in it’s mouth. It was a turtle. I live about a quarter of a mile from my in-laws, but our property has a nice sized pond. We thought it would be a good idea to put the rescued (un-injured) turtle into our pond to live. So we packed him up and brought him home.
When we got home we let the little guy loose. He scurried to the pond faster than I realized a turtle could move.
A week later, I found the turtle in our turn around on our driveway. He was sun bathing, moving at the normal turtles pace, but also moving away from the pond. Because, that pond was not his home.
A few days later, Charlie finds his turtle friend again, a quarter mile from our pond. It took him two weeks to make it back to his starting place, but he got there. Moving slowly, steadily in the direction of where he wanted to be.
How many times have you rushed to where you want to be? In the fitness industry, it is seen everywhere. Do this magical workout. Take this special pill. Try this new diet. We all want to be there fast. But what if, for once we had the mindset and determination of the turtle. He got there (and will continue his journey to where ever he was trying to get to before Charlie discovered him). He moved slow and steady. He pursued “there” despite dogs and humans setting him back. Heck, he even took some time to sun bathe.
I say all of this while our studio is starting a 4 week fitness challenge. Personally, for most people, challenges are for those “hares.” Those people who want results now and don’t want to find the slow and steady. But I also know that for others, challenges tend to spark and interest to try something new and maybe develop the habits to keep the changes made longer than just the 4 weeks.
I tend to opt out of many of our challenges. But, this time, I am experimenting with something slightly new. I am going to think like the tortoise. I am going to use the 4 weeks to analyze my summer set backs (food, beverage, sugar choices). Like the turtle, I am going to pursue where I was and where I want to be with a slow and steady yet determined and relentless mindset. And I am going to live the healthy lifestyle that I want to live more often than I currently do.
Morale of this story: It’s okay to have your own journey. You will have set backs. You will need a break to enjoy the sun. You will be thrown off course by things completely out of your control– but keep your eye on where you ultimately want to end up and relentlessly pursue that vision no matter how slow and steady you get there.
