Be Like A Snail

Since the beginning of the week, I have been thinking of the best mental strategy to get me through the final stages of my PhD. On some occasions, the task ahead seems easy and doable, and on others it feels impossibly difficult. This afternoon, it occurred to me that I should be like a snail. A snail is notorious for its slow pace, but maybe that is what I need right now. Slow, deliberate progress. Trying to rush has not got me anywhere. A snail moves slowly but surely, taking its time to decide the direction it wants to move in and responding to changing circumstances. When it sees danger, instead of trying to brave it, it retreats into its shell, hunkering down till the danger has passed. Maybe that is the strategy I should follow--slow but deliberate progress, taking the time to find the right path, and hunkering down in the face of adversity instead of flailing.