Slow and Steady Wins the Race - Looking Back at My Progress Over Half a Century!

“Slow and steady wins the race” is a proverb that is often used in the business world. It means that it is important to keep persevering through whatever you’re working towards and that perseverance will become your strength. Who was the first person to coin this phrase? There are some theories, but one theory says that Yako Sumioka, the founder of a religious organization who was born in the Meiji era (1868-1912), first wrote “Slow and steady wins the race” to summarize “Young man, be strong... The true strength is to live on one path” in his Poem of Praise.

However, I personally think that the person who made this proverb more popular was nobody other than the great karate-ka, Mas Oyama. Karate Master (A Karate-Crazy Life) was a very popular manga published in Weekly Shonen Magazine in the 1970’s. It is a story based on the life of Mas Oyama, a fighter who was a dedicated karate master, and I remember that I always couldn’t wait to read the latest chapter every week. Mas Oyama encouraged his pupils by telling them, “Slow and steady wins the race!” You can easily imagine his loud voice booming in your head. As a martial arts trainee in high school, I thought that his way of life was the way to live as a man.

I don’t believe that this manga has influenced my life. However, perhaps it is within my DNA from my parents, but I cannot help but feel that believing that persistence is important in everything and it is deeply engraved into my cells. The reason is because I have several things that I have been doing for half a century without any hesitation. Half a century, that’s right, for 50 years.

For example, muscle training is one activity that I have been doing for 50 years. I was a tennis player in junior high school and this athletic background led me to start weight training in my mid-teens. My main activity was what is commonly called circuit training where we continued to train while changing machines one after another without taking breaks. This not only strengthens the muscles, but also improves the heart rate function and makes you sweat just as much as running. Before I knew where the time went, I realized that I have been doing this training for 50 years. I have never even thought of quitting. If I don’t exercise, my body starts to get soft and I feel out of sorts, so I still continue with my muscle training. To my surprise, my body shape has not changed! This is truly a case where continuation has been my strength.

The effect of continuation is nothing short of outstanding. Since my body has not changed over the decades, I can still wear the same clothes. The last time I bought a business suit was back in 1980, which was 42 years ago. I still wear that D’urban suit. It embodies “Continuation saves money!” I have been in the habit of reading physical newspapers every day for half a century. When I’m away from home for a week, it’s normal for me to catch up on a whole week’s worth of newspapers as soon as I get home. I have been reading the Bible every morning since I was a teenager, which I find is an amazing feat because it has had a huge impact on my daily progress.

I sometimes wonder if “Slow and steady wins the race” is a proverb that actually reaches young people. Old business suits, shoes, and t-shirts are symbols of strength for me, but perhaps to some people, they just look worn out and should be thrown away. Have the times changed that much? Be that as it may, I woke up to the importance of perseverance. In times when I tried my hardest to conquer my goals with single-minded determination, the hidden meaning of the proverb “Sitting on a rock for 3 years” finally became a little clearer to me.