The slow lane advantage

The JD Letter

November 30, 2024

To all who experience burnout every few months (like myself):

Burnout is a cycle I’ve come to know too well.

I’m starting to understand it's root cause and it comes down to one simple thing:

Lack of patience.

And I know I'm not alone.

Let me remind you of the childhood parable we all grew up with but most of us forgot:

A group of animals decide to race to determine who is the fastest.
Among them are a rabbit, known for its speed, and a turtle, known for its slow pace.
As the race begins, the rabbit quickly gets ahead, leaving the turtle far behind.
Confident of its victory, the rabbit decides to take a nap midway through the race. (burnout)
Meanwhile, the turtle, though slow, continues to move forward steadily without stopping.
By the time the rabbit wakes up and tries to catch up, it's too late—the turtle crosses the finish line first.

This is your reminder that patience is your greatest asset, in a world obsessed with instant gratification.

Wouldn’t you rather make slow progress and build a sustainable routine than sprint and burn out halfway through the race?

What this means for we who drive ourselves to exhaustion

It’s possible to be ambitious, without running ourselves into the ground every few months. The secret lies in:

1- Being patient

2- Creating sustainable routines

3- Valuing steady progress over fleeting bursts of productivity

"It is not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." — Lou Holtz

Burnout happens when we try to do too much, too quickly.

I'm the queen of doing this so trust me, I get it.

But in one year of building my business, I've learned to take steps back and surrender to things when needed.

It doesn't mean I'm perfect, but I'm doing better at recognizing when it's time to slow down and accept things for what they are.

Trust that patience will win you the race.

I hope you enjoyed today’s short letter. If you did, please consider sharing with a friend who may need it.

Chat next week,

Jess

Inspire, Empower, Transform.

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