Are you the Tortoise or the Hare?

I walk my dogs every day. After I get past a certain point on the walk I let them off their leashes. Their reactions to freedom are the exact opposite.
Barney likes to wander off the path. He’s a three year old Beagle so he will follow his nose just about anywhere. In fact, I have to watch him so he doesn’t wander too far off the path and get lost.
Lucy, on the other hand, is 14 years old and a Border collie. She follows right behind me. Occasionally she will stop to sniff and then gets right back on track. Truthfully, she doesn’t even need a leash.
As I was watching them the other day, I thought the fable of “The Tortoise and the Hare.” If you haven’t heard it, here it is…

The hare was once boasting of his speed before the other animals. "I have never yet been beaten," said he, "when I put forth my full speed. I challenge anyone here to race with me."
The tortoise said quietly, "I accept your challenge."
"That is a good joke," said the hare. "I could dance around you all the way."
"Keep your boasting until you've beaten," answered the tortoise. "Shall we race?"
So a course was fixed and a start was made. The hare darted almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped and, to show his contempt for the tortoise, lay down to have a nap. The tortoise plodded on and plodded on, and when the hare awoke from his nap, he saw the tortoise nearing the finish line, and he could not catch up in time to save the race.
Now I know that my dogs aren’t racing, but the point is that they both get there at the same time. They just do it in different ways. It made me think of how peoplework toward goals.
Some people go really fast, then stop and wander off the path and have to run to catch up. They’re like the hare (Barney). Others are like the tortoise (Lucy). They take it slow and steady, but they’re consistent.
What do you do? Do you run really fast and stop and take a nap or do you take it slow and steady? I have to tell you that I used to be a “zoom – eeker”. In case you’re wondering that’s the one that runs really fast and then stops.I did that for many years until I discovered the problem with it.
It’s exhausting!!!!!!
You get a little ways quickly, but burn out quickly and have to stop and rest. Think about the difference between a sprinter and a distance runner. The sprinter can get 50 yards fast, but the distance runner will get farther in the long run.
You probably see where I’m going with this. Slow and steady is the way to go. It’s not flashy, but the key to success in any endeavor is consistency.
Barney doesn’t mind running off track. He has enough energy to do it and he knows that he can sleep all day when we get back. Lucy, on the other hand, is old and needs to conserve her energy or she won’t make it back to get her nap.
Are you consistent?
If you answered no, why not take a step to make a change to be more consistent. I have to warn you that if you’re a “zoom-eeker”, don’t try to change everything at once. Try to do one thing every day to move toward your goal.
The thing is that if you go for slow and steady, you can get more done in the long run and ultimately will reach your goal. Unlike Barney, you don’t get to sleep all day. At least, I don’t.