We’ve all heard the fable about the tortoise and the hare—slow and steady wins the race. Is this necessarily the case, though? The hare, after all, lost because it got lazy and cocky—not because it couldn’t be a slow tortoise!
I preach “consistency” to my son in football, but sometimes that translates: “complacency”. What I want from him (and demand of myself) is “one-hundred percent effort, one-hundred percent of the time”. I don’t get it from him or myself.
“Slow and steady” should suggest rather constant progression and improvement—i.e., “Be your best today; be better tomorrow.” It should not imply a casual approach to self-improvement. The tortoise won the race, not because it should have, but because it gave a consistent, best-effort.
Some change should not be rushed. Weight-loss (i.e., fat-loss) should be slow (1-2 pounds per week). Other things should be as fast as possible (e.g., smoking cessation). Overall, though, we should be steadily improving ourselves (Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially).
Speed should always win races. I will never beat Usain Bolt in a 100-m dash! If you have the ability, don’t relax. Always give your best effort.
My son is fast (he did not get the speed gene from me!). Nonetheless, he rarely turns it on. Honestly, it is frustrating. It frustrates me, not because I want him to win every sprint in practice for my ego, but because I know he is not giving his best. When we don’t give our best, we don’t improve. It is the basic “overload principle”—If we don’t do more than that to which we are accustomed, there is not adaptation. If we consistently do less we can lose our progress—the “principle of reversibility” (better known as “use it or lose it”).
My son is just a kid. It is my role as a parent to be the example. It is on me then to “be my best today; be better tomorrow”. I must be working on constant improvement—constantly. I must acknowledge my failings and give the same “one-hundred percent effort, one-hundred percent of the time” that I demand in others.
I have written before on the notion of “leave it all in this room” (a life lesson taught by wrestling). When I teach, I expect to be drained by the end of class. I know when my effort is subpar (as I am sure my students do, as well). A favorite bible verse is “whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10, NIV). In other words, don’t be the hare.
Slow and steady does not win races. Best effort doesn’t always win races. In life, however, as in sport, best effort produces the best result. At the end of the day, it is not whether we win or lose, it is whether we had the will and the effort to win.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”—Winston Churchill