6 minute read
How Timidity, Indecision, and Lack of Focus Will Negatively Impact Your Life
FROM THE EDITOR
The Tortoise & The Hare
I recently watched the Youtube video of a tortoise racing a hare. It was impressive to watch the hare blast off and reach the halfway point on the track in just a few hops, while Ms. Tortoise had barely gotten off the starting line. But it was astounding to see the tortoise win the race. I've always heard the saying that "slow and steady wins the race." And, probably like you, dear reader, I've listened to the story of the tortoise and the hare since I was a little kid. But seeing it in real life hit me like a ton of lead. It permanently elevated the importance of the lesson in my heart. You see, what the tortoise had that the hare didn't was perseverance, consistency, staying power, and, in a certain sense, endurance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7NuVjpi72c
Was the tortoise slow? Yes. Awkward? Yes. She looked a little stiff, lugging her heavy shell down the track. But did she let up? No. Did she get distracted? No. Did she quit? No. Did she stay the course? Yes. The tortoise consistently walked the entire race, enduring the weight of her shell, the whole length of the track, and kept focused amidst the distracting noise of the crowd. She never quit. She just kept moving ahead.
On the other hand, the hare could have sprinted the entire track with minimal hops. It wouldn't have required a significant amount of effort to win the race, but she quit. SHE QUIT! Right in the middle of the track, the hare stopped moving forward. It looked like she even turned to head back to the starting line at one point in the video.
Family and Business
As an individual who has always had an interest and passion for family, investing, and business, one of the lessons I learned early in my life was the importance of perseverance, consistency, and endurance to make anything work. Whether you're raising a family, investing, or starting a business, you must persevere. You must be consistent and endure all the hardships that come your way. You must weather the storms and avoid distractions. In Canada, roughly 40% of marriages end in divorce before their thirtieth anniversary. And that number is expected to increase over the next several years. In business, "86.8% of all Canadian startups" survive till year 2. But, after the third year, roughly 66% of companies were still there. After ten years, just under half the companies survived, at a rate between 42.9% to 47.8%, depending upon the business sector. The numbers are slightly different in the United States. For marriage, the divorce rate in the United States is between 42-46% and surprisingly has been declining since the 1980s. In the 1970s and 80s, the divorce rate peaked, but over the last 40 years, it has declined 44.2%.
Sources
The Divorce Rate in Canada | Divorce & Family Lawyers - Barrie, Newmarket & Orillia www.galbraithfamilylaw.com/blog/ divorce-rate-in-canada/
Number of divorced people in Canada 2000-2020 | Statista ww.wstatista.com/statistics/443290/ divorced-people-in-canada/
Business Startup Statistics Canada | Fundsquire Canada www.fundsquire.ca/startupstatistics-canada/
(2021 Divorce Rate In America) How Many Marriages End In Divorce Statistics - The Hive Law & FastStats - Marriage and Divorce www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/ marriage-divorce.htm
In business, "according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20% of U.S. small businesses fail within the first year. By the end of their fifth year, roughly 50% have faltered. After ten years, only around a third of businesses have survived."
Source: www.lendingtree.com/business/small/
While many reasons contribute to the ultimate demise of each marriage and business that fails, it is possible to simplify it all down to one all-encompassing factor—perseverance or staying power—the ability to endure, to last, through whatever comes.
Roughly 1/3 of businesses survive year ten because they were the only ones who could persevere through and endure all the trials and tribulations of the first ten years. And 40% of marriages end before their thirtieth anniversary because the established foundation upon which they rested could not stay the commitment "in sickness and in health, or until death do us part." In other words, they couldn't persevere through everything until the death part. They didn't have the staying power or the ability to endure.
Perseverance in the Bible
I believe perseverance and endurance are essential characteristics needed for end times. Far too many of us demonstrate the hare's behavior—timidity, indecision, lack of follow-through, lack of commitment, and distraction of focus. Many are wishy-washy, like the hare. Few can persevere through the struggle and endure the race, like the tortoise.
The Bible vividly clarifies that perseverance and endurance are essential in the believer's life and character. There are at least 24 references in the New Testament to perseverance. The book of Revelation alone has seven references to perseverance in the believer's life (Rev 1:9; 2:2; 2:3; 2:19; 3:10; 13:10; 14:12). It is a defining characteristic of the saints in Revelation 14:12.
Application: Gaining Heaven
Whether we are seeking to build a family, invest, start a business, or pursue any other worthwhile endeavor, it is clear that perseverance is essential. The same is valid for seeking heaven.
So, what about you? Are you like the tortoise or the hare? I want to be like the tortoise and see you at the finish line.
By Eric Ollila,Communication/IT/Media Director Alberta Conference
