There’s a well-known Wall Street story of, as Vanity Fair wrote it, Billionaire Bill Ackman’s ill-fated Bike Ride.
Riding with a group of strong cyclists, Ackman, a highly competitive hedge fund manager, set off hell for spandex tearing out ahead of the group.
Some thirty miles down the road, however, out of gas, and screaming with pain, he struggled to finish the ride.
It happens.
Sometimes we get off too quick when we are best to choose a sustainable pace.
There’s a scene in The Dark Knight Rises where, while beating him down, Bane says to Batman, “You fight like a younger man, nothing held back, admiral, but mistaken.”
In a quick melee you might come out hard and fast, but against a strong opponent you want to keep plenty in reserve.
Success is rarely about how quickly you go after it, but whether you are able to persist long enough to reach your goal.
Some of us are naturally better starters.
Others are good at keeping moving.
But fewer of us are strong finishers.
Getting it done often requires hunkering down for the miles, picking a pace you can sustain, and consistently turning the pedals until you get there.
For larger projects, you best do this by structuring your time to make even the tiniest progress every day.