The Hurrier I Go the Behinder I Get
Slow Down and Let Your Intuition Be Your Guide!
You have the right to act when you know, and the right not to act until you know, what your right action is. I read something to this effect several years ago, and it struck me. I tend to want to get things done quickly. This includes making decisions and taking action on them. Sometimes I do this to the detriment of what is truly right for me.
I’m not sure where this need for speed and action came from, but I remember being this way as a child. When I was about six years old, my father taught me how to fold brown paper bags. My mom had finished her shopping one Saturday morning, and my father and I put away the groceries. Then it was time to store the paper bags.
My father demonstrated how to fold one of the bags neatly; then I tried to fold one on my own. I did it quickly, not paying much attention to the well-defined creases in the bag. I finished in record time, but my bag did not resemble the one my father had tucked together so nicely only seconds earlier. My folded bag was puffy, not neat, and thin like the one my dad had folded.
Then my father said to me, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” He then made me unfold and refold the same bag again and again, more slowly, until I took the time to find the creases and use them as a guide to collapse the bag into what resembled a flat sheet of brown kraft paper.
When I took the time to do it right, I could do it. It was merely a matter of not feeling like I needed to rush and get it done quickly.
Today when I feel myself racing to get something done, and I feel a bit anxious, my dad’s words (well actually Lewis Carroll’s words) come to mind. “The hurrier I go the behinder I get.” I also remember the paraphrased words of Stuart Wilde, “You have the right to act when you know, and the right not to act until you know, what that right action is.”
Carroll’s quote makes me think of the physical rework associated with taking shortcuts or acting in haste. Wilde’s words make me recognize that my heart knows what is right for me–which projects, people, decisions, and actions — and can reduce the negative emotional toll associated with making subpar decisions.
Recently, I’ve gotten a blizzard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotional emails with subject lines like “Last Chance!,” “Only 1 Hour Left,” and “Offer Ends Tonight at Midnight.” Fortunately, my Christmas shopping list is short, and most of what came in through these emails was irrelevant to me, so the scarcity tactics did not cause me to act the way these marketers were hoping. I deleted the messages or unsubscribed from their lists altogether. I noticed, however, that after merely reading the subject lines, a little bit of anxiety arose in me. Perhaps it was my not wanting to miss out or be left behind because I did not act quickly enough. Whatever the reason, I felt annoyed by these messages.
I now recognize that this feeling of being rushed blocks my ability to access my inner guide, which helps me make better decisions and take more purpose-filled action. We all have this intuitive ability, but many of us ignore it in favor of logic and reason. There are many ways we can reach our goals, but when we can hear and listen to our gut instinct, the path it leads us down seems to flow more effortlessly.
Flow in life is important to me. So now, when I feel pressured to make a decision and anxiety arises in me, I recognize it and step back from making a hasty decision or a move too quickly. I might miss out on a sale or even an opportunity, but it is likely a sale or opportunity that isn’t made for me. I probably don’t need the thing on sale, and there is probably a better opportunity around the corner.
If it appears that I missed out on an opportunity, I know that there is abundance and that something better is coming my way. If I wind up needing the item that was on sale, and I pay more for it, I can purchase it in good conscience. I can buy the product with the knowledge that I am doing the right thing, not out of pressure but out of genuine need and rightness for me. There is value in saving money, but there is also value in feeling good about what you do too!
