Self-realization author and teacher Guy Finley wrote,
“You cannot rush without being in some sort of conflict.”
Personally, I find this to be very true. It’s one thing to move with purpose and quickness. It’s quite another to rush. In the first case, we are in control of ourselves; in the second, the situation is controlling us.
Your thoughts?
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Author: Bob Burg
https://www.burg.com Bob speaks for corporations and organizations internationally, including fortune 500 companies, franchises, and numerous direct sales organizations. He is coauthor of the International Bestseller, The Go-Giver, as well as Go-Givers Sell More, The Go-Giver Leader, The Go-Giver Influencer, and author of the sales classic, Endless Referrals and Adversaries into Allies. The Go-Giver has been published in over 30 languages and has sold over a million copies. Join Bob in The Go-Giver Community Network by visiting TheGoGiverCommunity.com
I think it is a very clear reflection of the urgent versus the important – you tend to answer the phone because it is urgent, but not necessarily important!
After reflecting on his statement, I agree that it’s certainly the case for me. If I’m rushing, there is usually something else I need to get done too. Or I’m doing something I don’t like to do but have to do, and there is a deadline. Both cases, conflict!
Bob,
I’m a 28 year old entrepreneur with a day job as Software Engineer, finishing my Master in Management thesis about persuasion while bootstraping my business… with all this in my hands, heart and head: it’s easy to feel overwhelmed!
In spite of having a clear plan of action to achieve those goals… sometimes I feel that I’m late… I know that overnight success only happens after hard work… so it’s hard not to rush.
It’s a tough internal fight but I believe it’s a fight worth fighting for!
In your point of view, what’s the best way to manage all this?
Thank you,
Bruno Coelho
Great point to consider, Bob.
This may have been part of what John Wooden understood when he said, “Be quick, but never hurry.” I know that my experience with rushing or being in a hurry almost always leads to some undesired result. It could be because of the inherent conflict involved.
To me, an interesting difference between ‘moving with purpose’ and ‘rushing’ is that rushing is usually focused on the activity that you want done. But moving with purpose is done with a view to the result you seek to accomplish. There’s a huge distinction between action for the purpose of getting the task completed and action that leads to a specific outcome.
This statement makes explains why some days I find myself rushing and long hours to accomplish my daily goals. The days I am not rushing and “moving with a purpose” are when I stick to the daily plan and as Joel states focus on the important. I believe that moving quickly is a habit developed by consistency which would then allow time for the unexpected detours. I have not mastered that yet.
Sage advice Bob! Reminds me of the old saying, “If you want it bad, that’s how you’re going to get it.” 🙂
Just yesterday I was stressing a little bit about how my multiple ideas would work with each other to fulfill my vision and ultimately my mission: unleashing your creativity and inspiring you to change the World.
Truth be told… I wasn’t just stressing a little bit. It was a stressing a lot and I was trying to rush it…
For a few moments I doubted if I had what it takes to turn ideas into reality and ship them so you can enjoy them… soon after I was seeing all kinds of problems that would make The Rabbit Way venture a tough one. And on top of all this, I had a feeling that everyone else was already having huge successes…
How did I overcome this fear crisis?
First by embracing that what I was feeling was fear. There’s nothing wrong about being afraid. That’s what happens when you’re doing something that not everyone dares to try. That’s what happens when you have the responsibility to take care of those around you: family and employees.
Finally, I focused on the solution not on the problems. If you turn the TV or read a random newspaper, odds are great that you’ll find a lot of information about how serious this Crisis is. However, you’ll have a hard time finding a single solution to this problem.
But if you focus your energy and knowledge on finding a solution, soon, your problems will become challenges and you’ll be much more capable of o dealing with.
I believe that I just have to embrace something that it’s very easy to write but very hard to apply: Success is a journey and not a destination.
If this is true, just as I believe it is, I’m very grateful to share this journey with you Mr. Bob Burg and all you brave entrepreneurs that dare to fight the status quo to make this World a better place to live in!
Thank you!
Best regards,
Bruno Coelho
When we RUSH, we may think, say or do things that will make us BLUSH!… I agree with you Bob, it is an empowering principle to move with purpose and quickness without getting into a ‘rush’. The best way I’ve found to do this is to have a plan and keep my ATTENTION focused on my INTENTION.
The road trip I took with the young entrepreneurs to the Big Event in Florida was a good example of what happens when you get into a rush. We had a solid driving plan in place to get from Boise to West Palm Beach within the 60 hour time frame we needed to make it there by. When one of the youth took his turn behind the wheel, he got distracted by ‘rush’ hour traffic (how ironic), he didn’t pay attention to the road signs, and ended up getting lost. This created much frustration & anxiety, not just for the young driver but for everyone else in the car. It took a complete course correction to get us back on track and headed in the right direction.
Sometimes we may need to slow down the speed just a bit in our business and our life so that we don’t MISS the signs, get lost, or heaven forbid… have a crash! 🙂
Hi Gang, loving all your comments. This is another of those that – rather than respond individually – I’m sort of just sitting back and enjoying the wisdom you all are sharing. Thank you so much!!
Hello Bruno,
Can totally feel you my friend. I’m torn in times like these. I hear Seth Godin telling me to “Ship It”, when the deadline is there, so you are forced to not keep just going and wait till its “Perfect”. It will never be perfect.
With this said, I love what I’m learning with the guys from 37 Signals – Half, Not Half-Assed, which basically teaches, prioritize what you have…work on the others later. Get those victories early and build from it.
I had a client, who didn’t listen, and wanted to keep on building on his web application, I told him to just focus on what he had, and see what the customers say…no, he wanted to make it perfect.
Not sure if that fully relates, but I think you get my point.
My advice, stop and prioritize. Understand you can’t do it all, so reach out and get help if you need to. Outsource it, if you can. Yearn to get milestones accomplished, so you can get the fuel you need to stay motivated and focused.
Cheers!
Hello Cesar!
I got your point and I loved the Seth Godin reference (one of my regular readings)!
My Engineering background tells me that every solution is made of compromises. There’s no perfect solution. That’s why we, in the software development business, use some kind of version system! 🙂
You have to do the best you can do with the available resources at the time. Jack Sparrow, from the Pirates of the Caribbean, is a great inspiration: he didn’t wait for the perfect ship, the perfect crew and the perfect plan to set sail. He didn’t rush things either. He just used what was available and “shipped” it (couldn’t resist, sorry)!
Yesterday, I wasn’t struggling so much on getting the perfect solution… but the range of different ideas on my head, white board and papers were overwhelming me. I just couldn’t see where I was going anymore.
I followed your advice to stop, tough. That’s when my wife (key element of The Rabbit Way) helped me find the right path again!
Thank you!
My pleasure Bruno…will need to watch Pirates then.
Funny, I had an idea of a service I normally subscribe to, and was frustrated with the limited options. I figured out a way to go about producing the same outcome without having the same costs as my normal provider.
Now the only thing I need to do…is do it. And see if it will work.
PS
Will need to look at “The Rabbit Way”.