Have you ever seen anyone win a race by running carelessly? There are times that you need to slow down to avoid tripping. In the world of today, people are constantly reminded to move faster. They think that speed automatically equals to progress. This is part of the reasons you see people making quick decisions, responding quickly to things, doing hasty things, with the hopes to get quick success, or to arrive at their destination quickly. But what they fail to understand is that moving fast does not always mean you will arrive at the destination on time, they may simply make you to stumble on the way. Most times, it is not how fast you move that counts but how well you move.
Imagine someone running through an unfamiliar terrain at night without a torchlight. In the mind of the person, he may be determined to get to where he is going to quickly and on time. But what if he trips and falls, or what if he stumbles on a stone and hurt himself? The aim of running would have been defeated. As a matter of fact, someone who is walking carefully through the same route may arrive first before the other person, because they will not waste time nursing their hurt leg. Even if the person walking did not arrive as fast as you intend, at least they arrived safely. Life, sometimes, works in that way. It is not how fast you want to achieve something that ultimately matters, but how well.
There is nothing wrong with having ambitions. There is nothing wrong in wanting to succeed. And of course, there is nothing wrong in aspiring for growth and achievements. However, the problem arises when your desires to get there quickly make you to become careless about how you get there. Imagine someone rushing into a relationship because of the fear of being alone, without even taking time to understand if they are the right person for them. If what they see is not what they expect, they will feel disappointed, but they never really took time to analyse the situation at the initial.
Some people have made financial mistakes simply because they rushed into a business for the hopes of quick money. Some others have accepted opportunities so quickly without properly examining them because they fear that another opportunity may not come. Imagine making important decisions so quickly because you want quick result. But you fail to understand that there are times that even an increased haste may become counterproductive and reduce the overall speed. More so, in a hurry, you could ignore some very vital details that can potentially affect the end-result negatively in a way you may never have imagined.
It is worthy to note that slowing down does not mean becoming lazy or docile. Neither does it mean giving up or lacking ambition. Rather it is actually a strategy for going farther in life. When you slow down a bit, you will give yourself some time to think. It will make you to notice the things you would have missed when you are rushing. You will also examine and analyse your choices, learn from your past experiences, and can sense dangers before they even draw closer. Slowing down can also give you clarity of purpose.
You will agree with me that you cannot start learning a skill and hope to master it in a day. As a matter of fact, trying to gain expertise in the skill in just one day may simply lead to frustration, and you may abandon the journey. But when you understand that mastery takes time to attain, you will focus on taking the journey one step at a time. Even if you appear slow, yet your foundation will be solid. In life, you do not have to compete with other people's timeline. Someone may appear to be moving faster than you, but you may not see the challenges that they may be facing behind the scene. This is why you have to focus on your journey.
It is true that there are moments when you need acceleration, but there are also some moments when you need to apply wisdom to know when to slow down. For example, before signing an important document, pause and read through it, so that you will not implicate yourself. A moment of patience can prevent you from a lifetime of regrets.
Thanks for reading
