The old fable of the race between the hare and the tortoise 🐢 is the classic example of disciplined investing vs. the all-or-nothing strategy of wanting it all quickly. You see, every good thing in life takes time. A baby is born after 9 months from a seed to a mature baby. He doesn’t emerge from the tummy with all the maturity either; he must go through all the developmental stages, no shortcuts, no quick fixes.
The earlier you grasp this reality of the relationship between time and growth 📈, the more you will appreciate time and the consistent steps of saving and investing. Set up those debit orders each month, and tomorrow your initial seed will be a baobab tree. Remember, time will always pass whether you do something or not; you might as well do something after all.
The instant gratification virus 🦠
Given the instant gratification virus 🦠 in our times, many find it difficult to stay consistent and trust the process.
Why talk about a virus 🦠 in a personal finance blog? Okay, let me explain. At the time of writing this, I’ve just been to the doctor, and I am suffering from shingles. Like most viruses, shingles doesn’t have an instant cure. One uses medication to manage the painful symptoms and help the body’s immune system to fight off these suckers; lots of patience and time are required, though.
My back, where the shingles are, feels like spikes and burning coals pretty sore. That’s how instant gratification is to your finances. Instant gratification and financial freedom don’t exist in the same place in the dictionary, nor are they related and the same goes for personal finance.
Six packs, gardens, and growing pains
People visit the gym three times a week for a month and already want to see the six-pack. Don’t worry, the six-pack is there, only yet invisible it’s still working its way out of the tummy fat. Burn the fat first, and soon you will see the ripped pack.
Ever planted a vegetable garden and couldn’t wait for a harvest? This feels like waiting for the growth of those investments. Don’t wait for the growth keep adding more, particularly earlier on, compound growth feels like it doesn’t work. This is the time to keep adding more to the investment pot. It’s all working in the background. Meanwhile, don’t forget to live and enjoy your life as a normal human being.
Don’t watch the Avocado tree grow
Don’t check your investment balance every day like I used to do it will drive you insane. It’s like standing next to an avocado seed you planted today and wanting to see it grow and grab some avocados for your next lunch sandwich. It’s crazy some of those Avo trees take as long as 20 years to bear avocados. If you wait for 20 years obsessively, you will miss out on 20 years of life.
The sweetness of slow growth
Often in life, the slower the process, the sweeter the results. Ask farmers they know this better. Keep at it, let that wine mature and age well before the big celebrations. I am turning 40 in a week. I could do with some aged fine wine, the older the better in the wine world, also in the investment world.
The only area of my life I live on autopilot is investing, while on the other hand, I seek the thrill of life in other areas. Keep this in mind, folks, it’s not only about money there are other things in life to enjoy too. Taking a walk, for example, is free and healthy. I wonder why we don’t do it often.
Focus on consistency, not just returns
In fact, in my opinion, most people highly exaggerate the returns from investments. The foundation of wealth building is the consistency of early contributions putting in that money again and again. Then compound interest will take off from there.
It would be absurd to obsess over returns early on. Wonder why people talk about the first 100k being the hardest? That’s the reason. The 100k, in this case, becomes the seed for compound interest to work on.
Don’t despise humble beginnings
Good old wisdom from the Good Book: “Don’t despise the days of humble beginnings.” It’s those times you delayed gratification that count. It’s not the fancy investments but the good old, simple yet consistent low-fee index or ETF investing, to be precise.
Don’t think it’s a once-off but rather, month in, month out. Every time you earn is every time to invest. Some clever people coined the term: Get rich slow. They were spot on.
That’s how the tortoise 🐢 outwits the fast hare. It’s not his speed that wins him the race, but discipline, consistency, and perseverance compounded over time
At face value, the tortoise stands no chance but underdogs are often undervalued by everyone, and they seek to prove everyone wrong in the process.
In closing: The fable of the Tortoise and the Hare
Long ago, there was a hare that was prideful and bragged that he was so fast he could beat all the land animals in a running race. For some reason perhaps the underdog dose the tortoise challenged the hare to a race.
Since the hare was fast, he decided the tortoise would never catch him, and he took a deep rest and eventually fell asleep. The slow, underdog tortoise kept on going and eventually won the race. The hare was woken by the noise of cheering animals celebrating the tortoise’s win.
Final thoughts
The moral of the story (in my opinion): the slow can win the race too if they play the long game.
Remember, investing is not a sprint but a marathon. Those who conserve energy, stay focused, and carry on always outshine the obvious fast sprinters; no need to sprint here, it’s a marathon. Whether you are the hare or the tortoise, make your own judgments.
Trading Time or Buying Freedom 
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