” Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”

– NAVY Seals

I think for the longest time, I was always in a rush to be someone and change my life. Maybe it was from the excitement and novelty of always experiencing something new or perhaps I was trying to run from my problems but no matter what I did I would always come full circle to a bad decision.

The bad decisions would then lead me to run further away and full circle to another one. Again and again, I would go into this inescapable loop of negative experiences. I think the problem was that I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin and whatever the reason may be, whether it’s intergenerational trauma or my own doing, I’ve learned that the solution is probably to slow down in my decisions.

Rarely has my quick decision-making ever made a good impact on my life. On the contrary, I could say that I would have been a lot better off if I put the time and thought into what I would have liked my life to be like in the future. Whether the decision was a reversible or an irreversible one, it would have always been better to take the time to see if the choice is right for you.

One of the reasons that I usually rush to a decision is the idea of missed opportunity. There have been hundreds to thousands of opportunities in my lifetime in different areas of my life and a majority did not need me to be fast. However, it is important to learn to seek, find and apply yourself to opportunities that would better your life. While I didn’t need to be fast, I did need to apply myself in those in situations because they can still pass you by. The ability to apply yourself when the opportunities arises is something that not everyone has or is able to apply themselves in. To learn this skill, like learning any skill, requires small and incremental improvement. It also requires being deliberate and intentional in going after what you want.

Deliberate and intentional action in going after what you want on a daily basis to meet your goals is necessary in achieving a life worth living. Otherwise, you would be training yourself to go after the things that you don’t want. Slowing decision making is what allows for deliberate and intentional action taking as it gives you the room to fully understand what you’re looking for in this life. In other words, you’re more likely to achieve goals by being slow than being fast.

When you act fast without thought and go out of alignment with your own rhythm to align yourself with others, it sometimes throw you out of equilibrium. Of course, I’m not saying don’t work or collaborate with others. What I’m saying is do so at your own pace and you don’t have to do things that don’t align with your goals. It may not be as easy but a simple discussion helps to make sure the people around you know what you want and you’re looking for.

Understanding that you don’t have to move fast in life also allows you freedom and relieves you of any pressure that you may have. In a majority of situations, we don’t need to hurry and it’s better when we don’t. As the saying goes ‘Slow and steady wins the race’. So, take it from someone who’s tried to go fast, don’t. You’ll eventually move fast any way so it’s better if you have a strong foundation so be deliberate and take your time.

Until the next post, thank you for reading!