Quick but Steady Wins the Race | HPSC Preparation: All subjects - HPSC (Haryana) PDF Download

Philosophy

Life evolves, and changes are seen everywhere in this dynamic world. But the maxims and quotations were supposed to be true for all times. However, change has spared none! This remix generation has changed the maxim: Slow and steady wins the race to quick and steady wins the race! The iconic rabbit was quick but was not steady in its pursuit. It was overconfident, it underestimated the strength of its opponent; therefore, it lost to the tortoise, which was slow but steady. That is how the old time tested maxim: Slow and steady came into being. There have been many versions to this story, where the rabbit asks the tortoise for another race, and then, he wins making sure he does not rest till the goal is achieved.
So this new maxim in the context of the old fable gives us many a lesson. For the rabbit, if you consider yourself to be one, is one, not to be overconfident, two, not to underestimate your opponents, third to reflect and realise your mistake, and last but not the least, not to give up and try once again with renewed energy to win.
For the tortoise, if you relate with the tortoise, it is not to get afraid or apprehensive of the opponent and bash on regardless. Keeping a low profile and moving on relentlessly, sometimes success comes not because of your strengths but due to other people’s follies! Secondly, luck favours the brave, but we cannot count on it to repeat!! Thirdly, you do not have to accept every invitation that comes your way! It could well be a trap! So never hesitate to say No for the second round, especially if you have won the first and are being invited to do so by the loser.
Being quick also reflects the ability of quick decision-making, seizing opportunities, and having the ability to take risks. These qualities are noticed in leaders. Too much deliberation about the possibility of success or failure clips the zeal to take action. It incapacitates action. Deliberations are a wonderful excuse to remain in one’s comfort zone. Nothing worthwhile can be achieved till one stretches beyond one’s easy grasp.
For winning, therefore first and foremost thing one must have is the desire to win. To achieve anything, you set your heart or mind too. Another thing that is clear is that your approach has to be steady. You need to be persistent. You need to be resilient. Whether you chose to be quick or slow will depend upon the strategy you choose, depending on the task on hand. There have been instances where it was deemed best to lie low and wait for the opportune time to strike back. This has so many times been the tactics at war times to strike back. The sudden and unexpected attack of the unsuspecting opponent could be the trump card required to win, in this case, not only a race but maybe a game or maybe a war.
Slow is almost a passive word for this hyperactive, multi-tasking, technology-savvy generation. This generation wants instant gratification. This era talks about speed to achieve success. They are almost impatient. They take shortcuts and cut corners. They often find this greed for instant success, which makes them make wrong choices, leaving them deprived of friends, fortune, and fame.
For many, a youth driving at high speed gives thrills. They equate speeding on roads to a game on tracks. They are reckless and throw caution to the winds. Often such races result in accidents, where one may get crippled for life or lose one’s life. Invariably innocent, unsuspecting pedestrians also lose their life if they are unlucky to be in the path of these insane drivers who have no regard for life – neither their own nor others. Being quick in these cases is a curse.
Let us see what all does steady incorporate and imply. Steady means to follow through and not give up. Let us take up the inevitable selection procedure for higher studies and later for jobs. There are written tests for any selection - be it SSC exams or the highest level exams UPSC exams or for getting a seat in Medical or Law colleges. All these exams have standardised tests which are generally objective. Speed of attempting the questions is definitely an important parameter. However, there are negative marks for the wrong answers. To get maximum right, one has to be very steady in its practice. Only rigorous preparation will enable them to perform to make it to the merit. Even during group discussions, if one is quick to grab an opportunity to speak, one will be able to get one’s point across. But what they speak will ultimately depend upon how regular they have been with current affairs. For no success comes without continuous and regular (steady) practice. It is a lack of practice, which leaves the candidate mumbling that he knew the answer but did not remember.
All great things started at the spur of the moment. When Rosa Parks refused to get up from the seat of the bus reserved for the whites, the movement against racisms gained momentum. Though her reaction on that day must appear to be instantaneous, she had been mulling over the issue for over a decade. In other words, one should have a goal and desire to achieve something. This could be on a personal level or for the larger good of humanity. If you are sensitised about an issue and aware of its implications, then only you can take the appropriate action when the opportunity arises. Being ignorant of the issue or with a laid-back or indifferent attitude, one cannot hope to win any race in life. In fact, in such a case, you have chosen to lose the race without participating!
Even in business, the person or company who first ventures into a new field gets the first mover advantage, e.g., online selling. To get success, one has to have the courage to take the necessary risks and venture out and endurance to remain grounded and rooted through the gestation period for the business to bear fruit. The rest, who follow and toe the line, do get profits but not the same super-profits as the first had got.
Secrecy of your own strategy and prevention of your own trade secret from getting leaked out by team members should be safeguarded. This is true for any game on the sports field or any contract. The hare did not tell the tortoise that you do not stand a chance this time and that I have learned my lesson! The tortoise would never have agreed to the run, and the hare would have remained a loser for always!
A word of caution, to be the first to jump is not the best thing to do without the necessary preparation. Preparation would include a SWOT analysis with necessary corrective action for success.
Thus it is good to be ahead of others, but one has to make informed decisions. After studying the opportunities and threats, matching your own strengths and limitations, aptitude and desire, you should decide your strategy and then follow through with it till it pays dividends.