Behold the Turtle…

There is a quote credited to James Conant who often suggested that it came from an anonymous source. It came into existence in the 1940s and the quote is so simple and obvious that it makes you wonder why nobody else from the history of great speakers, authors, and philosophers, ever came up with it. The quote is “Behold the turtle: he makes progress only when his neck is out.” Like I say, so simple, so obvious, and so true as we apply it to our lives.

After posting the blog on tempo inspired by my golf buddy, Mr. Peterson, I asked him if he had any additional ideas. There we were, on the driving around range again warming up for a round and he said, “Behold the Turtle.” Huh? I asked him to repeat it and thought, “I’ve never heard that one, I’ll look it up.” A quick search of my memory had me thinking of one of Aesop’s more popular fables entitled “The Tortoise and the Hare” but I was way off. This concept is far simpler and more straightforward, but so applicable in life.

How Can You Be More Like the Turtle?

  • Push yourself to a higher level of success
  • Envision your future and what you want it to look like
  • Get out of your comfort zone and stretch
  • Build your plans and then take Action and Execute
  • Put your neck out or you simply won’t go anywhere!

If you need more motivation to “Put Your Neck Out” check out the “Parable of the Talents” in Matthew 25:14–30.

Thanks again, Mr. Peterson, and thank you to the turtle for the applicable example. If you need help getting your neck out as well as your legs so that you can get moving, let’s connect and see if there’s a way for us to work together.