When I was 19 I rode a motorbike. Then I did this course where we rode around a real racetrack. After ½ an hour, Richard our riding instructor said “Get up to 100kph, then brake as hard as you can. So I did. He told me “It took you 44 meters. Daniel, you are a danger to yourself and others. Let’s show you how to brake properly.”
By the time he’d finished I was getting up to 100kph and braking in just 19 meters.
Then just as I was starting to feel good about my achievement, he said “Back on the track, let’s time you again.” That good feeling evaporated. I knew that with all that braking I’d have caught “slow-disease”. Anyhow, I did another lap. And there was Richard, beaming. “7 seconds faster”. Couldn’t believe it.
By learning to slow down, I’d learnt to speed up.
Why?
Well, because I could slow down more effectively, I could accelerate up each straight for longer. That meant I spent more time at a higher speed, and in more control too.
In life, that whirring engine is your mind; the “track” is your outer world of activity. When you learn to slow down – not only do you make life less anxious for yourself and others; your performance improves “on the track.”
This year, stop trying to do more; start mastering how to slow down. This is the secret to gaining more success and less stress at the same time.
Happy new year.
{ 2 comments }
