Slow Down! You’ll Get There Quicker

In this hurry-up world we’re living in, it’s easy to lose focus on the things we shouldn’t be rushing through. Too often, we make quick decisions when we should be deliberate and we spend inordinate amounts of time on the things that don’t matter. Two recent experiences inspired this observation: a pizza run and shopping for books.

Yesterday, we did a little clean-up project at home. At least twice a year, we deep clean the house and make a run to Goodwill. My daughters are tasked with going through their closets and finding things they no longer need or want that could put a smile on another kid’s face.

A few hours into the purge, I went out for lunch. I stood in line behind a young lady who was really struggling with her pizza order. As I observed the tattoos on her shoulders and arms, I wondered if she put as much thought into her ink as she did into her pizza order. I would guess the ink was a more emotional decision than the lunch was, but somehow I don’t think so.

I don’t mean to be critical, but I don’t know… something about the grammar on the tattoos struck me as, shall we say, hasty.

The second incident involved a little online book shopping. I was looking for personal development books and found where a website was offering a way to read 52 books in 52 weeks! What do you really learn at such a pace? How much are you absorbing? Granted, some of us pick up more than others. I pride myself on being a fast reader (thanks to speed-reading classes I took as a child) and I am also an avid reader. Not a day goes by without me cracking a book… even on vacation. I was at a doctor’s appointment this morning and I read until they called my name. So while I am a fairly efficient reader, I also devote time to reading. Advantage: Jimenez.

Too often, we feel like we have to do everything right now! We want the minute rice, the instant coffee, the microwave popcorn. We don’t want to wait. We complain about long lines for voting. Think of how long people in Cuba have waited for what we get to do every other year.

I am not trying to convince you that patience is a virtue. I am the least patient person I know. I am telling you that some things shouldn’t be rushed. You know… things like learning or choosing a tattoo. 

Adolfo Jimenez is a Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with The John Maxwell Company. He is also the co-owner of Abdaliz Custom Cakes. He lives in Hollywood, Florida with his wife, two of his children, and his dog Baxter.