A couple of years ago I decided that I wanted to learn how to do a headstand. I had a pretty regular yoga habit at the time, but going upside down was a pretty alien concept to me.
I had made a couple of ill-fated attempts to learn previously, incurring minor injuries along the way, mostly because I was in a rush. So I resolved that I would take it slowly.
So I added it into my yoga routine. And it was slow going, gradually picking up my feet, getting used to shifting my weight, trying to overcome my fear of falling. The faint embarrassment if anyone came in while I was trying in vain to hop up.
But little by little, my headstand improved, and these days it's a solid and even enjoyable part of my practice. And it continues to get better over time.
Everything feels pretty frenetic these days, with this febrile feeling that you need to be moving fast or you will fall behind. I'm sure I could have learned faster, but I feel satisfaction in having taken the slow and steady route. Proud that I applied consistent, dogged effort over time, and saw compounding and sustainable improvement.
I think there is a lesson there.