If you must hurry, hurry slowly

This is a Chinese proverb. Paradoxical yet very interesting!

I’m not quite sure when I first picked up the habit of speeding through everything. “Just very quickly” became my go-to phrase. I read fast, learned fast, cooked fast, ate fast, and tackled multiple projects at once. My mom still remarks, "My girl does it fast." Well, let's put mom's comment aside for now (her list of observations is long!).

With time, I started to see the futility of this rush. I paused and noticed areas where slowness is far superior to speed.

-Yoga was a turning point for me. I couldn’t master the postures quickly. My body needed a rhythm, a flow to become more flexible and aligned. Showing up every day, finding joy in doing it well with a sense of surrender—that’s when my postures began to blossom.

-In my haste, parts of my thinking remained half-baked. I produced work, yes, but most of it was only average to good. Some pieces needed more time, more chiseling to become masterpieces.?

-I was more focused on finishing tasks than enjoying the process. My mind was trapped in a constant state of time pressure instead of allowing things to unfold naturally.

Interestingly, I came across a Shaolin principle: if you want to combat an opponent, get them to rush. We often fall prey to this during sales. If something is on sale “only until tomorrow,” we’re likely to grab it without much thought. On the other hand, if the same product is on a “permanent discount,” we take our time to think it through. Causing someone to hurry provokes them to make mistakes.

Speed also has its own rhythm. Trying to do things faster and faster leads to fatigue, forcing you to slow down. I’ve experienced this in long-distance running. We deliberately temper our pace—fast, slow, fast, slow—saving our energy for the last few kilometers. So, the right time to take a break is precisely when it feels like there’s no time for a break.

Reflecting on the trade-offs of slowing down, I wondered if we lose out by not keeping pace in a fast-paced world. I believe in progress over perfection and understand the need to build and maintain momentum. Yet, I’m learning to cultivate a mindset where my mind and spirit aren’t in a hurry. Isn’t it better to do nothing than to achieve nothing with a lot of effort? Being able to slow down may eventually help us arrive faster.

What’s your “slow” story?