Remember the classic story about the tortoise and the hare?  The hare is so fast, frantic,  arrogant, and cocky that he takes a nap in the middle of the race against the slow-moving yet persistent, tortoise.  When the hare wakes up from his nap, the tortoise – who is calm, centered, focused, and persistent – ultimately wins the race.

This also appears to hold true with successful people.  Most successful people know that it takes commitment, focus, and persistence to find success.  They recognize that they will be confronted with temporary setbacks along they way.  They recognize that they have to make some sacrifices.  Their response to these setbacks is what sets them apart from others: they keep moving.  Even when times are tough – they keep moving.  When it feels like they are not making progress and not exactly where they want to be – they keep their eyes on the finish line and keep moving.

In many ways it seems like our culture encourages us to be like the hare.  Move fast, get rich quick, buy this lottery ticket, flip this house, borrow this money.  Most people will also give up or fall into idleness when they are faced with temporary defeat.  They take a nap during the race.  Being more like the tortoise is not necessary the sexy way – but it appears to be the successful way.  Be more like the tortoise – be persistent, make wise decisions, don’t get discouraged.  Stay level-headed and keep your eyes on the finish line.  At the end of the day you will win the race.