Why Consistency Matters More Than Speed
the mountain story
Why Consistency Matters More Than Speed
two people wanted to cross a mountain
both of them stood at the foot of the mountain
both have the same destination. both know well that the climb is not going to be that easy
and so both began their journey with the hope of reaching the other side
but as they start climbing that mountain, their approaches begin to differ
one stopped to complain about the steep road claiming, ‘This is exhausting’, ‘Why this path is so difficult’, ‘how long do we have to climb’ and so on and so forth
after every few minutes comes another complaint
he stops to look at the journey ahead of him and wonders whether the journey is really worth the effort
the second person also finds the climb tiring
their legs hurt and the road was certainly not an easy one
but when he was tired, he sat down and rested and when he felt better, he started the walk again
he didn’t worry about how fast he’d covered the road or how fast he was moving as compared to the other person
he simply rested when needed and continued the journey ahead
by the end of the day, only one person had crossed the mountain
it is the one who kept going
so what does this mountain story teach us
Why Consistency Matters More Than Speed
we often feel that success belongs to people who move quickly, work harder than everyone else or one who never seemed to get tired
but is it really true?
let’s think about how many things we abandon just because they take longer than expected
like, we start learning something new and become frustrated because we don’t get immediate results
we begin a project but we lose interest when the progress goes slow
we start to compare our beginnings with someone else’s achievements failing to see their life’s struggles and then keep wondering why we aren’t moving ahead in life
sometimes the biggest obstacle isn’t the mountain ( goal ) in front of us, it’s just the impatience and inconsistency with the journey
the second traveller understood something important – resting was allowed, moving slowly was allowed but giving up was NOT allowed
he realized that giving up the difficult road would get him nowhere
books that connect naturally with this message
Why Consistency Matters More Than Speed
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance — Angela Duckworth
https://books.google.com/books?id=PAMODAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover
Duckworth explores perseverance towards long-term goals even when progress is slow or setbacks occur
The Progress Principle — Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer
https://progressprinciple.com/progress-principle/
The authors explain how recognising small steps forward can support motivation and hence remain consistent
Is There Some Wisdom Behind This Little Story?
Why Consistency Matters More Than Speed
Interestingly, the mountain story connects with an idea explored by psychologist Angela Duckworth in her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
She discusses the importance of staying committed to meaningful long-term goals even when the progress is slow or setbacks occur
Another interesting perspective comes from Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer in The Progress Principle. Their work highlights how small steps forward can make a difference to our motivation
Perhaps that’s what our two travellers teach us, too
The person who crossed the mountain didn’t need to be the fastest. he simply understood that a difficult journey could be completed one step at a time
And maybe we can remind ourselves not to feel discouraged because something in our lives is taking longer than expected
remember slow progress is still the progress
Why Consistency Matters More Than Speed
a person who can read 4 to 5 pages per day can eventually finish reading many books
someone who saves a small amount may eventually build meaningful saving habits
a person who practices any skill for 20 minutes every day may improve more than someone who waits for that perfect day to happen to start practising
these are just ordinary, simple examples but they remind us something important which is easily forgotten – small efforts repeated over time can take us much further than the occasional bursts of enthusiasm
but one thing, consistency does not mean forcing ourselves to continue when we genuinely need to take a break
the second traveller rested too when needed
here, it is to be understood that RESTING was a pause and not a permanent goodbye to the journey
a gentle reminder for difficult days
Why Consistency Matters More Than Speed
perhaps we don’t need to ask questions – how quickly am i reaching my destination
maybe i can ask myself a better question, ‘ am i taking another step, however small?’
some day, the step maybe big, on other day , simply getting started was enough
we don’t have to race with another traveller neither we need to climb the mountain in one breath
and we certainly don’t have to feel guilty for stopping to catch our breath
we just have to remind ourselves
why we started this journey
progress does not always need speed. sometimes, it simply needs consistency, patience and willingness to begin again
A little note from me
Why Consistency Matters More Than Speed
I am not writing this as someone who has mastered the art of patience
I am an ordinary person, too, trying to understand life’s little lessons while finding my own way
There are days when I keep going, and there are days when I get frustrated by the steep road myself
Perhaps that’s why I like this little mountain story. It reminds me that we don’t have to be extraordinary to move forward
We just have to keep taking the next possible step
So, if your mountain feels particularly steep today, take a breath
Rest if you need to..make strategies..
And when you’re ready, take that another step…
What mountain are you trying to cross, one small step at a time?
do make time to watch my previous blogs
https://reflectwithsmitha.com/what-if-calm-feels-uncomfortable-and-chaos-will-feel-like-home/
until next time, keep smiling
much love.. stay happy … stay blessed .. always
smitha
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