Why the Giraffe?
What is your spirit animal?
For as long as I can remember, I have felt a beautiful connection to giraffes. The giraffe has a lot of wonderful personality traits. Some of these traits include that they are a protector, patient, clever, intelligent and graceful. A giraffe’s grace, elegance and majesty are attributes that I desire. And goodness sakes knows that I need to be more patient! Their slow and steady pace is faster than that of a tortoise with deliberation and speed when necessary.
As I evolve and mature to become who I am truly meant to be (personally and professionally,) this steadfast, deliberate process is far more appealing than the quick hit; “more, more more”; gotta have it now demeanor of my past.Taking the time to spend thinking and in a non-forcibly creating capacity ensures productivity and a higher quality work product in the end.
The best way to do so is by slowing down so that I can speed up. That means resisting the urge to make busy work for myself — frantically juggling one meeting after the next. It also means carving out time to clear and unclutter my head. My most creative and successful ideas arise when my mind is quiet and still. Giraffes also congregate in families with long-term relationship development. By now, we all know that relationship building is key to success in any career. To do so, it must be a marathon and not a sprint.
The giraffe is a great visual reminder of taking the time at a moderate pace to experience and enjoy the process. I must say, though, that one area that I differ with the giraffe is when it comes to sleep. The Giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, which is between 10 minutes and 2 hours in a 24-hour period. Counter to this, I need 6-8 hours per night to survive; otherwise I turn into a bear!