You know why the tortoise won that race?

Posted on 8 May,2021 in Self Development

“Success isn’t always about ‘greatness’, it’s about consistency. Consistent, hard work gains success”

-Dwayne Johnson

We all know the story of a race between a tortoise and a rabbit where the tortoise won (unexpectedly). And we probably also know why it won. Consistency. Do you know how magical this simple principle is and that you can do wonders if apply into life. Consistency is Doing just a bit, but every day. If you have ever seen a traditional well in some village. You must have noticed a crack on a particular spot on the boundary of the well. It is created by the rope which is used to draw the bucket filled with water from that well. Can a simple rope cut a rock/stone? Yes - with consistency everything is possible!

We all want to achieve something that we decided maybe a few months ago or year (s) ago but today, the milestone still looks far. We took a few steps towards the goal and stopped. Getting excited after listening to motivational speeches is natural but we miss on the struggles and hard work the hero of the motivational story had put to reach that success, real inspiration should come from their hard work. When we see someone dancing like a pro don’t we immediately wish to dance like him, ‘I wish I could dance like her’ You can also dance like her if you are ready to put the number of hours of practice that dancer is putting in.

We forget behind the scenes of many success stories. There’s nothing like overnight success. What we call as overnight success is the result of tireless practice one has put into for many years. When you are trying to be consistent your competition is you. Do you remember when you enrolled for a course on Udemy or anywhere how excited were you to finish the course, have that new learning, grab that certification and feel proud for it. But one week later the excitement diminishes and then you have not completed that course even after a year.

So why are we not able to maintain the pace after goal setting. Let’s work on that. Our energy level is at peak the day we set the goal and we try also, to finish as much as we can. This is where we make mistakes. The process of achieving a goal is just like growing a plant - it cannot grow half of it’s growth in just one day just because you are ready to water it the whole day. No! You need to water it everyday and the plant will grow little by little and become a strong tree one day.

Let’s look at the phases of habit formation.

1. Honeymoon Phase/Decelerate your feelings

   It is important to check on your emotions/feelings when you are just getting started after setting up a goal. There is no need to overdo on day one. You must stop yourself from getting overly engaged into your goal for 7 days initially. .

2. Fight Through Phase/Maintain the pace

   Keep the same pace maintained after 7 days what you had for the initial 7 days. Don’t need to change anything. Just devote the same number of hours you did and keep going. Push yourself if you feel like dropping. Just get up and start.

3. Second Nature Phase/Accelerate your feelings

   Many people fail at this level and go out of the race. Isn’t it a pity that someone failed because they couldn’t do what they had already done for 2 weeks. This is the final lap of being consistent and if you somehow survived, the work will become your habit.

It takes 21 days to build a habit

If i had to line graph how you progress in these 21 days it will go something like this:

It is an actual demonstration of overall growth. Growth is massive over the period but only when consistency is maintained. Brushing teeth for 2 mins is not going to make any difference but doing it regularly is surely going to.

How can you motivate yourself if you find it difficult to keep going: Sometimes, even if we try hard we leave working on the goal before 21 days and let’s accept this is happening with millions right now. I will suggest some ways which can help you keep going.

1. Find a friend/someone with the same or similar goal. So there’s a support system for you. They can drag you just in case you think to default.
2. Follow your role model. Watch them, listen to them if possible talk to them when you feel you are not continuing anymore.
3. Write your goal everyday with granular details. This is called the law of attraction - when you think about something in detail, you start working towards it and eventually get it.
4. Practice positive affirmations. If you do not feel like getting up and doing what you have decided, think ‘I can do it’, ‘there’s a reason I started this’, ‘I will be an improved person tomorrow’.

Being consistent is a no brainer but an ultimate power. Even the non powerful and non privileged can transform themselves with consistency. Put efforts little by little everyday towards your goal and bring the change you wish to see.

I am open for more suggestions and ideas. You can ask questions as well in the comment box below and I will try to answer it in my next blog.

Keep smiling!