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Slowly
I want to get there fast. Let’s fast track. You can have instant success and immediate benefits. You will enjoy the results in no time. Have you heard these before? We seem to want to go faster and faster.
- Read a book in a day, apply the knowledge by night time, reap the results by morning and retire by lunch time.
- Build a website in two minutes, make it public on the third, have six million hits within the hour, sell one million widgets, fire your boss the next day
- Lose ten kilos in twenty four hours and never look back
- Invest with XYZ scheme. Through compounding and pyramiding your wealth will grow exponentially, you will be world’s first trillionaire in a month
- With our dating service you will meet three hundred potential partners within twenty four hours and find your soul mate within the week
- If you hire me, I will triple your sales in the first quarter
- Join our gym and within three days you will be fit as an Olympian
Ok, I am exaggerating. We overestimate what we can do in a short period of time. On the other hand we underestimate what we can do over a long period of time.
You weight more than you like. Did you get where you are overnight? It would have taken you years to get be overweight and it will take you a little longer than a week or two to get back into shape. It will happen slowly.
Let’s look at driving. Did you master driving in one lesson? People often take a few lessons, then practice a lot with a skilled driver and learn more each day and eventually qualify for a full licence. Pilots have to do hundreds of hours in a simulator before qualifying to fly and continue to do many hours in a simulator during their career. You excel in what you do slowly.
Let’s say you want to develop your trading skills. Those who want quick results often get discouraged, complain, blame, and quit. Those who are good at it study a lot. They spend long hours, reading books, hand charting, back testing, paper trading, studying, system testing, investing in their education, comparing notes, studying and replicating articles, practising. They do it slowly.
While movies like Matrix imply that one day we will be able to put a probe in our brain and learn to fly an army helicopter in two minutes flat, our current reality is that we get good at anything slowly. As you reflect on the year just gone and plan for the year ahead, consider slowing down your aggressive goals. That way you can avoid disappointment, disillusionment and giving up on your goals.
I will conclude this article with lyrics of a song by Donovan from the movie “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” about the life of St Francis of Assisi. (These lyrics are freely available on the Internet.)
If You Want Your Dream To Be ...
If you want your dream to be
Build it slow and surely.
Small beginnings, greater ends
Heartfelt work grows purely.
If you want to live life free
Take your time go slowly.
Do few things but do them well
Simple joys are holy.
Day by day,
Stone by stone,
Build your secret slowly.
Day by day,
You'll grow too,
You'll know heaven's glory.
If you want your dream to be
Build it slow and surely.
Small beginnings, greater ends,
Heartfelt work grows purely.
If you want to live life free
Take your time go slowly.
Believe Achieve
Sinan Koray
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