An opportunity to SLOW DOWN!
“Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.”
-Mae west
“It looks like we’re running out of time . . . it’s a wonderful opportunity to SLOW DOWN!”
This is one of my favorite facilitation truisms shared by Jennifer Barrkman, one of our Australian clients and a participant in our Brisbane Fearless Force Program in 2018.
I’ve been reflecting a lot on SLOWING DOWN – one because we are deep into the summer, and I have been moving non stop.
And second, because after my leg injury on October 31 of last year, I remain in a leg brace with limited leg mobility.
As New Yorkers’, we are constantly battling the city. There are little victories we get which in the Olympics Games of urban dwelling make us feel like we get to stand atop the medal podium.
Oftentimes the skill necessary to achieve these micro feats is SPEED!
Imagine approaching the subway station and you see that the subway is arriving in 1 minute. You bounce down the stairs, dodge slower moving pedestrians, tap your card, and slide into the train as the subway doors close!
You imagine the replay as NBC commentators shower you with praise for not only executing skills with great difficulty, but more importantly your added flourish. PERFECT 10.
Imagine approaching an intersection and you have 15 seconds left to cross the street before the light turns. The inner Usain Bolt inside takes over and in a world record pace you take off and make it as the clock hits 0. You imagine Bob Costas praising your speed and clarity of purpose.
You can imagine fellow pedestrians chanting . . . “USA, USA, USA!”
I LIVED FOR THESE LITTLE VICTORIES . . . and clearly I’m deep into the 2024 Paris Olympics!
How do I reconcile the desire and need for speed, with the reality that both my leg injury and the brace I’ve been wearing for almost nine months are forcing me to SLOW DOWN?
With my leg brace, I’m unable to bounce and leap down stairs. As I approach the subway station and I see that there is a train approaching in 1 minute, I’m left with the unsatisfactory experience of accepting that I will miss it.
I have no choice but to move at my own pace, one step at a time.
As I’m walking through the streets of my beloved New York and I see that I have 15 seconds to cross the street, I’m left with no option but to stand and wait for the light to change again because it’s going to take me the ENTIRE TIME to cross the street.
I have no choice but to move at my own pace, one step at a time.
This leg injury has been a comeuppance of lessons that I still struggle with learning.
“So what’s it all about Alfie?”
What I continue finding myself doing, is accepting what is so, and continually surrendering any judgment I have about my limitations.
I’m going to get to where I need to get to anyway . . . I’m only going to get there slowly.
Acceptance has become its own victory.
Acceptance that I missed the train and knowing that all will be okay because another train is coming . . . IN FOUR MINUTES!
Acceptance that I’m not going to be able to safely cross the street in the allotted time and I can take a couple breaths and take stock of the street theatre that is a NYC sidewalk.
Acceptance that finishing strong isn’t necessarily about going FASTER.
So when you’re delivering a workshop and you notice that you’re running out of time . . .
Or when you’re in the middle of a keynote and the clock is winding down . . .
You may feel that the only option you have is to speed up, rush and cram!
Instead, take a breath . . .
Take your time . . .
FINISH STRONG.
Remember, “It looks like we’re running out of time . . . it’s a wonderful opportunity to SLOW DOWN.”
Fearlessly yours,
Eduardo
