Re-blogged from: http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?FBLike=http://blog.startwithwhy.com/refocus/2011/12/go-slow.html
In this day and age of soundbites and instant gratification, we often forget the value of spending time doing something of value.
We live in a world in which a YouTube video longer than 5 min is considered too long. We live in a world in which ideas that are supposed to change the world are given a maximum time of 18 minutes to share. And I can tell you, in my experience, the number of people who saw and liked the 18 min talk I gave on TED.com who actually then set out to learn more - to spend more time watching, reading, talking and learning more about the subject or set out to make the idea even better, are a small minority.
In our fast world, slow should not be a luxury reserved for time off on a beach or in a spa. Slow is a necessity. None of us learned to ride a bike in an afternoon. The process was slow. None of us formed deep, trusting and lasting relationships over one beer. The process was slow.
There is a reason a home cooked meal has greater value than fast food...and it’s not just because of the ingredients. It’s because a meal cooked at home is slow. It has to be. We can’t make something with love in a microwave. The process is slow.
Slow is what allows us to learn. Slow is what allows us to trust. Slow is what allows us to feel love for each other. The problem with slow is it requires time. And that’s exactly why it’s so powerful. It is the single highest gift we can give to someone, to give them our time. To offer hours, days, weeks, months or more knowing full well that any time we spend we will not get back, ever. Time is a non-refundable commodity. Once it’s spent, it’s gone. Time, more than money, has real, lasting value.
Anything slow, by definition, takes time...and that's exactly what makes it special.
In our fast world, slow should not be a luxury reserved for time off on a beach or in a spa. Slow is a necessity. None of us learned to ride a bike in an afternoon. The process was slow. None of us formed deep, trusting and lasting relationships over one beer. The process was slow.
There is a reason a home cooked meal has greater value than fast food...and it’s not just because of the ingredients. It’s because a meal cooked at home is slow. It has to be. We can’t make something with love in a microwave. The process is slow.
Slow is what allows us to learn. Slow is what allows us to trust. Slow is what allows us to feel love for each other. The problem with slow is it requires time. And that’s exactly why it’s so powerful. It is the single highest gift we can give to someone, to give them our time. To offer hours, days, weeks, months or more knowing full well that any time we spend we will not get back, ever. Time is a non-refundable commodity. Once it’s spent, it’s gone. Time, more than money, has real, lasting value.
Anything slow, by definition, takes time...and that's exactly what makes it special.
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