This is Day 4 of the Advent Calendar for 2015. Open more doors here >>
“Be not afraid of going slowly. Be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese proverb
I have had a slow year. This is because I had a baby and took a lot of time off, so my business took a back seat and I didn’t try so many new things, I didn’t even do all the things that I used to do regularly before February, I haven’t had time to do some of the things that I want to do. But that’s OK, obviously I’m thrilled to bits with my son (who is now 9.5 months old) and so moving slowly is not a problem. As long as I’m not standing still. Which I’m not.
Maybe moving forward slowly is better than moving forward quickly? You can be more prepared for what’s coming with more time. You can make really solid progress – a firm foundation that won’t crumble. If you move forward really quickly then maybe you won’t be prepared, you won’t be able to keep up? Like running, and I am no running expert, but I do know that if you’re in a race and you go too fast you might struggle to sustain it, whereas if you go slow and steady you can keep going to the end. Like the story of the tortoise and the hare. The tortoise was slow and steady and kept going, but the hare raced ahead and decided to have a nap, so the tortoise overtook him and won.
Tweet this: “Be not afraid of going slowly. Be afraid only of standing still.”
Are you a tortoise or a hare? I’d much rather be a tortoise and get to the finish line, than be a hare and miss out.
You can’t make massive leaps ALL the time. Sometimes you’re too busy making money, or having life stuff happen to you, or working full time, or caring for someone, or whatever other reason to work ON your business, developing your products and services and coming up with new ideas. If you’re short on time for this then maybe you need to break down your goals into teeny weeny steps. To slot in when you can so you can keep moving forward but not stand still. Maybe you need to allocate yourself 30 minutes every morning to make progress, or one hour a week, or perhaps you need ten minute steps you can take so that there’s always something you can do but it’s so so small that it’s really easy. You’ve got to keep moving to reach your goals. If you stand still, you won’t get anywhere.
In the comments: What are your tips for moving forward slowly?