Yes, I meant to type that. Strange saying, don’t you think? I’ll never forget the first time I heard it. It came from the CEO of a former employer of mine during one of our weekly nationwide safety meetings. I was fairly new to these meetings and, as it turned out, this was not the first nor the last time that this saying would echo through the countless job sites and conference rooms spread across the map.
A few weeks later, I heard it again yet this time, an explanation followed. It was used in the context of a recent injury that occurred due to an employee rushing through a task rather than taking their time to do the job right. Out came the words again… “When we work slow, it’s a smooth process and when our process is smooth, we accomplish the job much faster.” Although it was still hard for my productivity-based mind to wrap my head around a CEO telling us to work slowly, these words spoke an undeniable truth. Through efficient processes, a slow pace results in a much faster completion than the opposite would allow. A hurried and frantic process results in either injury or a subpar end product, both causing additional time on the job due to either lost time or rework.
As the years have passed, this saying has followed me from venture to venture and continue to offer great wisdom in so few words.
The same wisdom can be applied to our lives.
I’ll be the first to say that the word “slow” is not at the top of most lists when it comes to describing daily life these days, but hear me out.
Imagine you’re driving to work. Let’s say it’s one of those mornings that you hit the snooze button a few too many times, you forgot to put your clothes in the dryer the night before, and you’re struggling to find the “want to” at the bottom of your cup of coffee. The light turns green, and you get stuck behind the one person that is doing everything but driving. They’re going 20mph below the speed limit, swerving left and right, and pushing each and every last one of your buttons. Impatience takes over, and you floor it. You zip around them and it’s off to the races. You now cruise at a normal pace and all is right in the world again. You pass car after car as you make up for the time being stuck behind that “Sunday Driver”. You zoom through green light after green light until you reach that one that’s just a little too stale. You come to a stop and you take another sip of that coffee that you should have made stronger. All of the sudden, low and behold, look who it is puttin’ up beside you at the light. It’s your old friend “Sunday Driver”!
Every single one of you just got that feeling in your stomach as soon as you read that last sentence. We have all been there. That sinking feeling in your stomach mixed with just a pinch of rage as you realize that the last few minutes of your NASCAR inspired driving were absolutely pointless. You look over at your new friend, just sitting there, not a care in the world. They look back at you, unaware that you’re giving it everything you have not to lose your religion. They smile, wave, and off they go.
It’s okay, I feel bad too when I think back to the times when this has happened to me. We’re all human; Some of us just have trouble waking up on time ;)
Here’s another example of the point I’m trying to make…
Take the tree branch pictured above. This is the branch of a 600 year old oak tree. Yes, 600. This branch is over twice as old as the United States. Imagine this tree in its youth, surrounded by an abundance of nature. No city infrastructure, no cars, no light pollution. Just a magnificent tree existing amongst nature. As it grew bigger and taller, the world got a little bit faster. Year by year, century by century, the world gained unimaginable momentum and now moves at an unprecedented speed today.
Take a second to think about how fast things move today. The 24 hour news cycle is now more like an 8 hour one at best. A “breaking story” might last half the day until it’s replaced with the next ratings-hungry broadcast. Groundbreaking trends are old news in an instant, cell phones are outdated as soon as they’re released, and the loss of a celebrity is mourned for an hour, if they’re lucky, as the merry go round spins faster and faster.
Well, I want off.
I’ll gladly let go and fly off of the merry go round as I land next to, let’s say an oak tree. I’ll get up, dust myself off, and watch as the merry go round keeps spinning, faster and faster, full of those who are just too distracted to realize that they’re reaching dangerous speeds.
Just as this oak tree has done for centuries, I’ll take the slower route. I’ll work on slow, continued growth and let my roots grow deeper and deeper into the soil that is my existence. I’ll look up to the stars, knowing that there are no limits to the heights I can achieve, all while providing shelter for those around me so that they can rest assured that they have a constant presence to return to as often as they need.
Worry not, the world will still be there. As you grow at your pace, the world will follow at the pace it sees fit. As you grow, you’ll change, little by little, just as a tree does. The world will change as well, although at a much greater speed, and that’s okay. Just remember that you don’t have to stay on the merry go round. It’s okay to move at your own pace. Your steady, constant presence means a lot to those you love and admire. The roots you’ve planted can’t be swayed by the lightning fast demands of the world today. Be you, and do so on your terms.
Most importantly, just like that commute to work… we’re all headed for our destination and that destination awaits us all. Don’t be in such a hurry to get there. You’ll find me in the slow lane, checking out the scenery as I cruise into the sunset.