Fast and Steady
If you are walking on a tight-rope or threading a needle, then Slow and Steady will probably win the race. But in day to day living, we need momentum. Not break-neck speed, but momentum.
One of my mentors, Bill Britt, repeatedly told us that happiness comes from the process of accomplishment rather than the accomplishment itself. And the process can only be fulfilling if there is energy, choices and quick decisions to make. Without choices, we cannot set priorities.
In the story of The Hare and the Tortoise, the problem was not that the hare was fast. The problem was that the hare took a nap. He wasn’t steady. In life, moving slowly hoping that others will take a nap to allow us to win, is not a good strategy. Naps are helpful and sometimes critical, but they do not belong in a race.
I am not recommending the frenzy we see around us. Most people are simply reacting to life and running helter-skelter, not to mention billions of curved spines culminating in blue faces. That is why this post is titled “Fast and Steady” and not simply “Fast”.
Anjali & I are fortunate to be involved in a unique business. It is devoid of politics and any kind of “wheeling and dealing”. We cannot “buy” a position or manipulate our way into success. There are no glass ceilings or “special deals”. It allows global expansion with a very strong support system. There is unlimited scope for expansion, and it is quite recession resistant. This does not mean it is a perfect business. It comes with its own set of challenges, and requires a lot of foundational work. Over the past two decades, it has allowed us to be in control of our time and money, rather than live on someone else’s whim and fancy. Our diverse relationships, exciting reward trips, opportunity to learn and mentor at the same time, while being steadfast with our value system, has provided the required quality, energy and momentum in our professional lives. .
Challenges come and go, situations arise, and with momentum, they are easier to tackle.
Recently I re-connected with Gopi Kallayil, my friend from undergraduate Engineering College in Trichy, India. He is now the Chief Evangelist of Brand Marketing with Google. In what would seem like a contradiction, Gopi is also an evangelist for spiritual balance, and reminds people to make it a point to periodically disconnect from the internet and connect with their “Inner Net”. He teaches yoga and travels the world for business as well as to spread his personal message. Yes, he has a fast life, but it is anchored in a steady balance of well-selected priorities. He has momentum.
In our personal lives, Anjali and I enjoy the momentum that comes with taking care of the kids and family, traveling, developing our friendships, mentoring, fitness training , exploring and charitable giving. Add to that, I love writing, singing, playing the guitar (novice), investing and advising, and learning from successful people. I like a full calendar. Our family is surrounded by great examples of people with incredible momentum and balance in their lives. Some of them started out as business associates, but are now like family. They have impacted us in ways that cannot be contained in one post. I have to take some time to craft my thoughts about these great people before sharing them on this blog.
As you can tell, I am not a fan of “Slow and Steady wins the race“. I have seen perfectly good people deteriorate in life because of lack of momentum. They tend to invoke the Devil’s workshop in their lives.
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“Slow and Steady” may be better than “Slow and Unsteady”. But “Fast and Steady” is better in most cases than “Slow and Steady”. My business associates call this a Kumarism.