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In our world with a constant stream of data and information available at our fingertips at lightening speed, people often complain about the how quickly the days whiz by. Each moment is often packed with activities and event and appointments and to dos. This is so prevalent that we often speak wistfully of the “old days” when life was slower and more serene and when we had time to smell the proverbial roses.
I think we are using selective amnesia. Certainly life was “slower” when I only had three children instead of six. Certainly the demands on me to get good grades in junior high pale in comparison to those of a professional blogging, homeschooling, community serving mom of six. But stress is relative. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased.
Taking care of my sixth baby was vastly easier than my first. Sure, I felt the difference between being a 23-year-old mom and a 39-year-old mom and, yes, I had far more on my plate with Caleb than with Jessica. But the actual task of caring for a newborn was much less of a mystery the sixth time around and my level of panic at being left alone with a baby was completely gone.
I'm also hard pressed to believe that the “stress” of having text and email messages flowing all day and news of the world instantly online is really a great deal more difficult than being isolated, having less accessible food, transportation, medicine, and education. Or of having to spend most of the day in manual labor to eek out a subsistence living.
Frankly, I think we have it pretty darn good.
Speed is an Asset
So rather than bemoan the notion that, poor us, we are doomed to live in a world of easy access and relative opportunity, I'd rather look at the facts. And the truth is that speed will take you further than plodding along. Here's why:
1- Slow Costs More
This is true in every imaginable way. If we take more time to do something than is necessary, we lose the chance to do something else. If we take too long to complete a project, the opportunity could be lost for good. If we are slow to address a customer need, we may lose the customer and miss opportunities to gain new ones.
Speed it frugal!
2- Speed Is Sexy
Everyone talks about Michael Phelps. No one talks about the last (or any!) of the gold medalists in curling. Enough said.
3- Speed Is Impossible to Ignore
When a car screams down the street, everyone turns to look. When a person whooshes past the strolling masses on the sidewalk, everyone wonders what's going on. When a student turns in a test long before anyone else, everyone else is impressed (or jealous). When a company ships your product before they promised, you remember the next time you order.
Speed gets positive attention and a quick sense of satisfaction.
4- Speed Trumps Size
One of the biggest benefits of privatizing things that the government is forever trying to take over, is that behemoth organizations (like federal and state governments) simply are not agile enough nor flexible enough to pivot and turn and change course for a timely and appropriate response. The sheer enormity of the systems and the miles of red tape make it cumbersome and awkward (all the other atrocious problems inherent in government systems aside).
Small organizations may not have all the resources of large ones, but they have the advantage of being able to serve quickly and personally. Use that to your advantage!
It's not that the big eat the small, it's that the fast eat the slow.
5- Speed Empowers Action and Change
When my oldest was two, I discovered a little yellow book called Toilet Training in Less Than a Day. This ingenious little gem served me through all six children. It works on the principle of the power of speed.
In a nutshell, the book teaches you how to concentrate the practice time of correctly using the bathroom—something that is generally spread sporadically throughout the day—to teach the concept quickly and fairly easily.
This technique can work in many parts of life and is a powerful tool to change your life.
The 100 Day Challenge Banishes Procrastination
One of the biggest benefits of the 100 Day Challenge program I am working through and blogging about, is that it encourages participants to move past the biggest roadblocks to success in incremental steps and with multiple angles of support. Procrastination is the elephant in the room. Almost every human being alive struggles with the self-discipline to get going when they know they need to.
Often we put off doing things we don't want to do because the project seems daunting or the obstacles overwhelming. Recognizing the power speed can have to transform your life can motivate you to take action.
As a general rule, you should assume if you take action, perceived problems will tend to disappear. The more you hesitate, the more time there is for new obstacles to make their appearance.
Speed isn't stressful. Procrastination is. Take this day to shoot out of the starting gate and put in a great distance toward your goals!
Join me in the 100 Day Challenge!
Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.