For years, people have been talking and writing about the fast-paced world in which we live. If we were to visit our ancestors in their environment which they believed to be fast-paced, we would find it serene and pastoral compared to our lifestyles today.
We have the same number of hours in every day and the same number of minutes in every hour, but we are taking on more and more commitments and priorities. When we get rushed, several vital elements seem to get left out or are given minimal attention.
Planning, contemplating, double checking, and quality decision-making are priorities that are recognized by all successful people throughout the ages. A hurried decision does not save time; it costs time. To skip the planning stage or to fail to double check something because you are rushed is a sure way to waste days of your future instead of investing a few hours or minutes right now.
My friend and mentor, the late, great, legendary Coach John Wooden, repeatedly implored his players to “Be quick but don’t hurry.” Basketball is a fast-paced, highly-competitive sport. The teams that win get to the ball or get to the basket before the other team can. With this in mind, at first glance, it seems counterproductive that Coach Wooden did not want his players to hurry. He clarified his wisdom by explaining that hurrying involves being out-of-control, careless, and not focused on the results. Being quick, on the other hand, involves knowing what you’re going to do before the situation arises and acting with great purpose and intensity.
Quick players streak down the basketball floor and score points. Players who are in a hurry dribble off their feet, pass the ball out-of-bounds, or don’t get set before they take their shot which, invariably, they miss.
If you don’t have time to do it right, when are you ever going to have the time to do it over?
This emphasis on quickness but not being hurried sometimes involves shifting our priorities. In order to do your daily tasks with excellence, you may not need to do them all faster, but instead, you may need to do some of them better and not do some of them at all. Spending any time doing the wrong thing means you are not spending enough time doing the right thing.
It’s never a good time to make a bad decision. If you can’t take five seconds to fasten your seat belt, you probably don’t have time to spend five weeks in the hospital or suffer a much worse fate.
As you go through your day today, remember if you do it right, you don’t have to do it again.
Today’s the day!
Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network as well as a published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a columnist and motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa, OK 74145-9082; by e-mail at Jim@JimStovall.com; or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jimstovallauthor.
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