An important position, that coveted diploma or starting your own business: we prefer to achieve our goal as quickly as possible. But achieving success – and perhaps even better – can be done in a slow, deliberate manner, we learn from the tortoise.
We all know the feeling that everything and everyone seems to rush past you. That they do take steps, achieve success and that you are the only one who struggles a bit. The tortoise from the famous fable of the Greek writer Aesop must have had this impression when he decided to compete with the swift hare. Which of course took off like a spear. However, this story does not turn out as we would expect. Because the hare, presuming to win anyway, soon loses focus and ends up finishing later than the purposeful and hard-working turtle. The moral of the story: patience and perseverance are rewarded.
Yet in our society we seem to have lost the value of ‘taking the time’ a bit. While there are plenty of examples of successful people who took a while to achieve their goal. Single welfare mother JK Rowling didn’t start writing until she was in her thirties. She then walked endlessly to get her Harry Potter books published. Annie MG Schmidt also worked for many years as a library secretary before gaining fame as a writer at the age of 41. So it’s high time to reflect on the ‘slow road’ to success and what we can learn from that goal-oriented turtle.
Do not panic
A good example of someone who is successful at his job, but took the time to do so, is top trainer and coach Matt Little. He helped England’s greatest tennis player, Sir Andy Murray, win at Wimbledon and the Olympics. In his own words, it took him at least ten years to learn how to do his job, and then another ten years to get to the place where he wanted to work. A calm, determined approach is the key to long-term success, Little states in his book The way of the tortoise in which he breaks a lance for the ‘tortoise’s way’. A tortoise, he says, is someone who takes their time, doesn’t panic when things take longer compared to more “hare-like” types around them. He writes: ‘Turtles appreciate the fact that the longer it takes, the better they will be when they reach their goal. Unlike hares that sprint forward, but cut off part of the route on their way to the top.’ Now there is of course nothing wrong with the hares among us; the fast achievers and the types driven by fiery ambition. “As long as you’re aware that if you climb up fast, it might be harder to hold that top position because your foundation is shaky,” the top coach says.
Long breath for your goal
Occupational psychologist Ilse Reijs is also in favor of the ‘slow’ career path. “Because not everyone is a sprinter of course; many people are marathon runners. And taking longer has absolutely advantages,” says Reijs. “It is then easier to clarify your goal, to know what your internal motivation is. What is important to you, what position do you really aspire to and which aspects of yourself do you still need to develop? Big questions, which we often do not have clear at once. Those who know themselves better also know where they want to invest valuable time.” And if you have that in mind, according to Reijs it is also easier to be persistent, a real turtle quality. Scientific research shows that exactly this quality is the most important predictor of success. Not talent or IQ, but grit, as it is called in English; the passion and perseverance to achieve long-term goals. Reijs explains how that works: “Persevering people have a long breath, they have stamina and take small steps to achieve a goal. They keep going through failure or setback until they succeed. That’s how you grow. Before inventing the light bulb, Edison said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” Perseverance is based on the idea that it takes ten thousand hours of deliberate practice to become really good at something.”
Diversion
Wise words, but not always easy to stay so determined with your goal. Especially if you are overtaken left and right by colleagues who do get that management position or that knowledge who suddenly opens your own business, while you have been brooding on your plan for years. Matt Little recognizes that this is the biggest challenge for turtles: not being daunted by the hares around them. ‘In this performance society and age of social media, it is sometimes a real challenge not to be distracted by the path of others. All you can do is stay focused on your own goal and use the success of others as motivation.’ And if doubt does strike, he says it helps to compare yourself with yourself instead of with others. ‘Take a moment, for example, six months ago or two years ago or maybe even five, depending on how long you’ve been doing it. Now compare yourself to where you were then and you will see that you really weren’t as good then as you are now.’
flying hours
Ilse Reijs adds to her British colleague: “I sometimes see that people use their age as an excuse not to take new career steps. Or let themselves be demotivated by this when they see young people around them who are ‘catching up’ with them. But fifty or sixty is not too old to pursue your dream. Because you can always be successful at something, regardless of your age, as long as you are willing to invest energy and put in flying hours.’ Or as coach Mark Little advises in his book: it helps to see time not as an enemy, but as a friend. A friend who will make you better, develop yourself and give you a good foundation to achieve your goal or dream. Whether that is that higher position, obtaining your teaching certificate, owning your own business or writing a book. Occupational expert Ilse Reijs would like to add something to this: “It is simply the case that in some phases other things also demand your attention. Children who need you, parents who ask for care. It’s okay to say, this time of year, it’s my priority to focus on what needs my attention right now. And don’t start worrying about it, because you can just allow yourself that. You can also park your target for a while and then take it off the shelf later, at a more convenient time. Your dream won’t run away, as long as you don’t forget it.”
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Passion
To stick to your goal or dream, no matter how bumpy and impassable the road sometimes seems, you have to feel passion for what you want to achieve. The fire that burns inside keeps you going, because the turtle knows very well what it is doing and what its dot is on the horizon. -
Patience
A tortoise has a shell for a reason: it must be able to take cash. You will be overtaken by others anyway. The trick is not to be fooled. A turtle is patient and focuses on long-term success. -
positivity
The turtle’s way isn’t always the easiest. A positive attitude and focus on what is going well will keep you from giving up. Positivity is very contagious: you will see that people around you benefit as well. -
Loyalty
A turtle supports its team or company through thick and thin. Quite rare in our competitive society to commit to something for a longer period of time, even if you have the desire to develop. By staying in the same (correct) place, there is plenty of room to strengthen your foundation.
Source: The way of the tortoise, Matt Little €15.99 (Michael O’Mara Books)