Aesop’s fable of the tortoise and the hare is a compelling story of a race between the two animals. The hare, believing himself to be far superior to the tortoise, finds himself being challenged to a race by the tortoise. Using assumptions of his speed, the hare accepts the challenge feeling so confident of his win that he decides to take a quick nap during the race. We all know that this lapse in judgement costs the hare the race and his pride. Interestingly, there are many parallels between this fable and the successful longevity of a business. It is very tempting for any business to get caught up in the “speed” of each day with appointments, networking events, phone calls, emails, updating social media sites – all to drum up business. However, without pacing ourselves, burnout catches up leaving us to want to take that ever famous “nap” as the hare did. We wake up to find that our competitors have passed us by and wonder how it happened.
When running your business this new year think of yourself as the tortoise. Don’t let the excitement of the race distract you from your goals. Yes, it’s tempting to get swept up in the daily activities that are necessary to run a business, but, for long-term success to happen, awareness and commitment to the future need to be a priority. This will ensure that what you do today positively affects next week, next month, and next year. This will ensure that no “nap” is ever needed, and goals become a reality.
Are you the tortoise or the hare?
Pam Rezai
Sr. Marketing Director
