Reminiscing
on some life lessons learnt from a recent trip I took, I was reminded
of the story, ‘The Tortoise and the Hare'.
The story
goes a little like this:
Tired of
constantly being jeered and belittled by the arrogant Hare, the Tortoise
challenged the Hare to a race.
Predictably,
the Hare sped off leaving the slow Tortoise behind, and rather over confident
in his ability to win the race; he decided to take a midway nap.
Upon
waking, the Hare smugly sprinted towards the finish line, only to realise
that slowly but surely the Tortoise had managed to overtake him during his
nap, and went on to win the race.
The END!
Now there
ARE many lessons that can be deduced from this analogy, from how the
Hare’s arrogance proved to be detrimental to his victory, to the wisdom and
grit shown on the Tortoise’s part.
Nevertheless,
I want to shed some light on a key factor that can very easily
be overlooked: the ‘power of perseverance'.
The
Tortoise would have persisted in his pursuit, even
though winning seemed like an impossible task.
Spectators
would have scoffed at the idea of him crossing the finish line
before the unquestionably faster Hare.
Thoughts of
doubt very likely crossed his mind, but he would have quickly replaced them by
re-focusing on the objective - his desired end result.
The track
was probably harsh against his inner shell, the pressure on his feet oftentimes
overbearing, and the heat from the baking sun overwhelming.
Despite it
all, he would have consistently pressed ahead fuelled by the force of his
dogged perseverance.
Just like
Mr. Tortoise, sometimes you need to challenge yourself to change the status
quo, or what is expected of you. People may make you feel inadequate, and
society may have labelled you, but YOU need to persist in
shutting them out.
For years I
thought I was at a disadvantage to my peers, as I didn't quite
look the same and so accepted the label that was constantly chucked at me.
This led to me developing a negative mindset regarding myself and what I could
do; inevitably limiting my accomplishments.
Having
recently taken on a different perspective, I now try to act upon what I know to
do, no matter how daring it may seem.
Little by
little, I know that progress is being made as I diligently head towards my
purpose.
The
Tortoise ran his race at his own pace, so just like him, we must not
compare or measure ourselves against the speed of others; which only serves as
a distraction. Remember that the race is not for the swift*.
If you
don't like where you are, do something about it. Get out of your comfort zone,
and change your environment. This will help you see differently, which will
change the way you act. You cannot
do the same thing, and expect different results.
Regardless
of whether or not the tortoise had a strategy to winning; after analysing
the pompous character of the Hare, and hoping that he would indeed take that
nap.
Or whether he just took a chance stirred by the irritation of his situation, one
thing remains true: He MOVED and then he WON!
This my friends, is what perseverance looks like, and this is what the Tortoise
possessed that we all need.
*Ecclesiastes 9:11
*Image Credit: EveLivesey.deviantart.com
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