Fumbling. Bumbling.
That’s what happens when you try to go fast, and instead of gaining an advantage, you wind up in worse shape than if you’d taken your time.
I do it all the time. I recently got so “busy” trying to make things happen quickly in my office that I found myself literally turning around in circles. Not productive.
As the little boy said in the old Family Circus cartoon, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”
Ain’t it the truth? And it happens to all of us. And it happens every time we rush. And we all rush. And we all get those bad results.
“Fast takes longer when you hurry!”
But why? Why do we fumble, bumble, and make mistakes?
Well, it’s physiological. When you get into that game-on, gotta-hurry alpha state, your glands release a little bit of adrenaline. It’s the hormone that prepares you to do what?
Fight or flee.
When fighting or running, you don’t need your fine motor skills. The blood flows to the big muscles, away from your fingers. Your muscles tighten up. Not good for doing things smoothly, so you fumble. The reactive, animal part of your brain kicks in and the quick thinking creative part goes dim, so you bumble.
I’m getting better, because I’m finally learning to recognize the urge to rush and I’m consciously breathing and slowing down. No great revelation there. The trick is the recognition.
You may not have that much time, but you do have a choice … to scramble or to peacefully complete the task gracefully.
I choose the latter, and you know what the irony is? I usually get the job done quicker.
Go figure.
Love,
Denise