A Rabbit or a Tortoise...You decide

You know the story, the race between the rabbit and the tortoise, where the rabbit decided to sleep most of the race thinking that he can jump in last minute and win while the tortoise steady and slow progress made it the actual winner at the end.

We were told the story many times with the emphasis on the laziness of the rabbit and the hard work of the tortoise. This is true but there is another element I think to this great story.

Look around you and see so many people acting like the rabbit, at work, in high positions and even as they treat each other and they have the rabbit attitude which is: “I can get up at any moment of this race, jump two huge jumps and win the race; I can do it because I am THE RABBIT”. It is true that the rabbit could have won the race in two big jumps, the problem was his timing. Look at the middle eastern governments; offering reforms to issues after things reached the point of no return, thinking that they can at any point offer a big gesture and HOORAY, problem solved. Or look at relationships, some people take others for granted thinking, “I can always come back with a big promise, a nice gift or a huge change and I can win them back”. It is the rabbit all over again, two big jumps and I will be the winner.

However, no matter how clever you are or how fast you are you need to jump at the right time otherwise you will be left alone on the sidelines wondering “how did it all go wrong?”