Is it possible to take your time, to hurry up?

I used to have a boss many years ago that would say to me, “take your time to hurry up,” and as a teenager, I never quite understood what he meant. And then, much later in life, I heard the phrase, go slow to go fast.

My boss from way back when wasn’t very good with words, but he was great at business. I would watch him meticulously stock his convenience store, and even cleaning was art for him. He worked at an energetic clip, and it’s only in retrospect do I realize that each one of his actions was, at first, deliberate and slow until he built a level of comfort and mastery that allowed him to move faster.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Because it’s easy to get caught up in the idea of mastering a skill, but not possible until you truly understand the basic steps, the fundamentals that allow you to become a master.

In this context, being a master doesn’t mean you are the best. It’s more about you being your best. It’s about you developing any skill that is of interest to you.

Goings slow at first can be difficult because you’re full of enthusiasm and want to be good or even great, but rarely can you escape the process of becoming masterful. Yes, there are exceptions, individuals that are prodigies or are naturally gifted and talented. But if you observe them long enough, you’ll find that even they have to work on the basics to maintain their mastery.

So, the next time you think about acquiring a new skill or talent, remember, going slow to go fast will get you to a high level of competence or mastery much quicker than just going fast.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please share it with one person you love.