For some unknown reason, I have recurring dreams about turtles. This started about a year ago, and has generated a lot of interesting conversation among my friends and family. I don’t know yet what it means, but it has been fun trying to figure it out (I love this photo by Isado called Turtles in Green Tea).

An obvious parallel in real life could be perseverance, or the moral of the story, slow and steady wins the race. Let me admit I can be impatient — however in my professional capacity, I frequently find myself coaching others to plod determinedly towards their goals. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that most people are easily diverted to new and shiny over old faithful when it comes to their marketing and communications. The problem is, usually, old faithful is what they really need.

If you catch yourself thinking more, better, faster instead of progress, focus and direction, you may be undermining your own success. More and faster is ok if you are moving in a consistent direction. But if you are frequently changing your messages to the outside world (tweaking your tagline, changing your profile etc.), revising the look of your documents, chasing the latest trends, or constantly feeling the need to say something different, you could actually end up like the proverbial hare at the end of the race.

A good rule of thumb is to stick to a few core messages, and repeat, repeat, repeat. It might seem like same old to you, but to your audience, you are providing comfort, connection and familiarity. Rome, nor your brand, can be built in a day.