November 26. “It’s the constant and determined effort that breaks down all resistance, sweeps away all obstacles.” (Claude M. Bristol)

Anything worth having is worth working for. There are no significant accomplishments that come all at once, or with the swiftness of an expert. Accomplishment takes time, patience and persistence.

I am reminded of the story of the tortoise and the hare. The common thought of the lesson of that take is that “slow and steady wins the race.” Of course, in real life, where races are concerned, this is really never the case. In a real race, the fastest will always win. But, if you are talking about accomplishments, then the story of the tortoise and the hare take on new meaning.

How often do you see someone start a project with a flurry? They set about the tasks with great gusto, and get thing moving quickly. Then reality sets in that the haul will be long, and people will lose their steam for the project. It may even grind to a halt for a bit, only to be revived by another enthusiastic, but temporary burst of energy. I have seen projects languish like this for months or even years. I can look around my home office and find a few of them myself.

The person or group that understands that a project will take a long time, and properly sets their mind to slow but steady progress, will very often succeed at a greater rate than the jack rabbits who burst from the gate.

For me, the lesson of the tortoise and the hare then becomes not that “slow and steady wins the race”, rather it becomes “persistence pays.”

Today my reflection is on persistence, and its enormous power.