HE STEPS TO LIVE a productive life is a process. Just like a newborn baby takes time to crawl, talk and walk, we must have the mindset of patience by working for the best. Processes involve steps. Each step is important to each process. Nothing large happens without a process underlying it; there are causes, and there are effects. Some effects create causes, and then those causes create effects.
And so forth, and so forth. The great temptation for a lot of leaders to have everything done all at once and perfectly leads to negative consequences such as procrastination, frustration, paralysis, unclear direction, and confusion. I battle this temptation much more often than I like. You see, I am driven and am very goal oriented. Once I set a goal, I want to drive at it and achieve it.
I have a hard time taking breaks or shifting gears before the goal is reached. Furthermore, I don’t like things to take a long time, nor do I sometimes see why it should take a long time if done the right way. As I get older, I realize more and more that good things only come from deliberate processes. Quick fixes and short-term thinking are rarely a good thing. Sometimes, I intentionally need to stop myself and T
think, “Is this good for the long-term? Will it pay dividends to slow down and do it well rather than fast?”
Quite honestly, sometimes the answer is that it isn’t that important in the long term, so maybe it just needs to get done. Then again, if it isn’t affecting the long-term, then why are you working on it? In our business center, we have a mantra, “Accuracy is better than speed. But fast is better than slow”. I believe this is a wise way to work. Always let accuracy and “doing something well” trump speed.
But, do everything with a healthy sense of urgency. Things still need to get done, after all. You can’t get results by being inefficient and trying to be perfect all the time. Time and time again as humans we don’t like to follow processes. Why? Because processes make you wait and, as you already know, waiting is hard. Ralph Ransom once said that “life is a series of steps. Things are done gradually.
Once in a while, there is a giant step, but most of the time we are taking a small, seemingly insignificant step on the stairway of life.” The feeling of rushing prevents you from experiencing fun things in life. Because you feel they will slow you down, and when you slow down, you feel guilty and left behind. Is a book better if you speed read it, or if you take your time and get lost in it? Is your work better if you’re trying to do 10 things at once, or if you pour yourself into one important task?
Is food better if you cram it down your throat, or if you savor every bite and appreciate the flavor? Is a song better if you skim through it, or if you take the time to listen? Is your time spent with a friend or loved one better if you have a rushed meeting interrupted by your emails and text messages? Or if you can relax and focus on the person? “Don’t be in such a rush to reach a goal, that you reach the goal before you are ready. Sometimes, we learn such valuable lessons along the way.
Sometimes, we learn more about ourselves and discover that we want something different. Put your heart into what you do, but don’t rush. Good things take time.” ― Akiroq Brost Is there an end to it all? I don’t know, because there is never an end to the whole process. THE PROCESS HAS NO END We think there is a timeline attached to our life that contains events like mastering our art, development skills, self-improvement, actualization, and bettering our relationships.
In reality, there is no timeline. Simply learn to live in the present, rather than thinking so much about the future or the past. When you eat, fully appreciate your food. When you’re with someone, be with them fully. When you’re walking, appreciate your surroundings, no matter where you are. Great leaders take things one step at a time. Apple and Amazon are both trillion-dollar businesses.
Guess what? The CEOs still show up to work in their respective companies every single day. That’s because the process never ends — there is only continuous improvement. And improvement only occurs when you are constantly learning. “As the years go on, a sense of deep patience comes over one; one seems to know the virtue of ripeness, and the danger of rushing events”. Carolyn Heilbronn Take a mango tree, for example. Initially, when planted as a seed, it is small and it takes years for it to sprout.
But what happens when it hasn’t started growing? It’s collecting the right nutrients while undergoing photosynthesis to grow. And when the result begins to show. you get a solid tree plant. And what happens when its roots grow solid in the ground? It produces fruits, and so it remains forever till it dies out. It’s a slow process, but it’s rewarding.
The slower you go; the fewer mistakes you make. The faster you go, the easier it is to get frustrated when things slow you down. Our life, work, task, skills, art, relationships all end as unfinished projects. This is why one must continuously strive for mastery, one step at a time. Know this and you will know that at every point where you are, all you need is the right nutrient to grow. Soon enough, you will begin to sprout as you get to your mastery phase. “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit.
Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” — St Francis de Sales
