Snail Pace It: The Positive Side Of Achieving Your Goals Slowly

About a month ago I was in a mood. I was frustrated. I was sick and tired of all the go, do, and hustle messages that I was bumping into around the internet.

You know what I am talking about–and if you don’t, go and visit Pinterest. There you will find “How to perfect …today” or “How to have a perfect…in just 24 hours” or “31 days to a…”

Can I just tell you that never in my life have I achieved any amazing life change in any of those time frames.

My entire life I have been a plodder. I have reached some BIG goals, but I have done it SLOWLY.  I ran a marathon, but it took me 3 years to build up to running that long. I have built a blog that earns me a good part time income, but it took me 3 years to do that. I hate to even mention how long it took me to complete a 4 year bachelor of arts degree (if you really want to know, it was 10 years! In my defense, I did take some time off before completing the final semester thanks to a honeymoon baby we were not planning on).

During my, “I am so sick and tired of people preaching FAST FAST FAST!” mood, these words penned in the image above came to me.

It is an acronym for SNAIL PACE IT.  The funny thing is I have never been a fan of acronyms. I always mess them up or forget what they are even called. Honestly, I had to enter, “What is it called when you take a word and break it down to make each letter stand for something,” into Google to find out that acronym was the correct term!

But I digress! I want this acronym to be  encouraging to those of you who like me prefer taking things one small step at a time, not share with you my lack of English term knowledge.

S = Slow growth is okay

N = Never give up

A = Always believe

I = Integrity matters

L = Love yourself just as you are

 

P = Pick just one thing to improve in at a time

A = Accept failure as simply a set back to learn from

C = Change only happens when you push through your comfort zone

E = Encouragement matters. Seek it out

I= Interact with those who share similar goals

T= Today is a great day to start

 

Fast doesn’t matter. Finishing does. No, actually that is partially wrong–there is something that matters even more than the finishing–the journey.

How you get to your goal matters. Your journey speaks volumes about your priorities. Your finish line photo speaks only about your discipline.

I took 3 years to get to my marathon goal because I was squeezing in my runs in the morning hours so that I didn’t use precious family time for running.

I took 3 years to build this blog to the point that it makes a good solid part time income because I blog in the in between moments. In between homeschooling, in between soccer games, in between gymnastics, in between child and mom conversations.

I took 10 years to finish my degree because I took time off. Time off to enjoy my children in their infancy. Time to make sure I didn’t rush the moments. Time to make sure I savored each one.

My journey speaks volumes to my priority–family. I am a focused individual–I get very caught up in whatever I am doing. I had to snail pace my goals so I didn’t miss my dream. My dream of mothering well. My dream of a deep and meaningful marriage. My dream of a whole family.

What is the journey on the way to your goals speaking? Don’t rush the journey. The finish line isn’t going any where.