Dare To Be Dull And Slow To Win The Race For Higher Gains
How to avoid long-term damage because you’re in a hurry
I had a meeting for an event I am planning at my favorite winery. Chatting about all kinds of stuff, besides the actual meeting topic, we talked about the small changes the winery did with their restaurant concept that is attached to the wine tasting room.
They reduced the number of tables on the beautiful outdoor terrace and replaced this area with lounge chairs and low tables for chilling, drinking coffee, or just having a glass of wine without any food. A row of clay planters with olive trees, flowers, and lemon trees divides partially the two areas.
Wow! I was impressed.
A business that shifts down to scale up.
The idea is they want their customers to have a better, more relaxed, slow, higher quality experience when they have lunch on the terrace.
They can sit longer, are a little shielded from the hustle and bustle, and have more relaxed staff to take care of them and explain the wines and the food that comes from their own garden and farm. Guests who only want to enjoy a glass of wine or wait for a table can do that in the more relaxed chill area.
Moving On The Fast Lane
When we think about that we want to slow down our lives and busy working days we believe it is not possible because the money-making-business-world keeps pushing us to keep moving in the fast lane.
The mantra is instant gratification, high quantity over high quality, and short-term gains over long-term profits.
If we decide for us to take it easy, the world around us tells us we are slackers. Businesses want to pass the competition to win the race in the market. As we slow down at home the pressure at work increases.
But because everybody else is running doesn’t mean they are right.
We need to understand that we can improve our business by not rushing. In many areas, we can yield better results when we offer a higher quality of our product or service.
Your stock investments reward you when you show patience. You have more returning customers and recommendations when you take the time to care for your clients.
“Every interaction you have with a customer either strengthens your relationship (because it’s mutually beneficial) or weakens it. Weaken it enough time and you break it. The fact that you ended up with a few bucks in the meantime is immaterial compared to the long-term damage of breaking the relationship because you’re in a hurry.” – Seth Godin
Slow Insights From Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors in the world, believes in the positive effects of slowing down and thinking long term. In Buffett’s opinion, the pursuit of short-term profit is a misguided concept in business.
His mindset is being patient, thinking long-term, and giving things time – characteristics that are rare today. Buffett‘s rule is to stay calm and be smart when others are freaking out.
The Convenience Of Going With The Fast Stream
We are getting lazy and rely on tech heaven and digital screens to think for us and run our lives.
All those Apps, Algorithms, and AI are great and offer huge advantages, but they are no replacement for our brains. Even though we often act this way.
Since we worship speed, growth, and wealth, we are forced to hurry all the time and stay on the surface of things and thoughts.
Guess what? You can dare to define your own world and be aware of how stress, hecticness, and sensations get a grip on you. And you can decide against it.
Or do you prefer superficiality, lack of quality, and lack of meaning?
Quality doesn't seem so important anymore. Much remains superficial. Nobody has time for anything. Making connections takes too long.
There is a lack of serenity when we respond or react to our counterparts.
We are too busy to maintain friendships or take time off with our partners.
Do you still notice how carelessly and inattentively you sometimes act?
Stress Makes You Deaf And Blind For The Moment
Stress makes us deaf and blind for the moment in life to live and appreciate the here and now. Stress and hectic don’t care about the fact that every moment is unique, one of a kind, and irretrievable. We just get pushed through those moments, and later we might regret having missed those moments.
And WHY do we behave like this?
Because everything has to go faster.
Because it takes too long to dig deeper into something.
Because it's cheaper to settle for lower quality because high quality takes time.
Because it's too cumbersome to try to get a bigger picture of the situation first.
Because it's more practical to react first and think about it later. Or to stop reflecting altogether.
Because it's so easy when someone tells us what to think and what to do instead of thinking or doing it ourselves.
The Future Needs Your Thinking
We are all asked to think more thoroughly, question, and adopt different perspectives.
Due to the rapid development of everything on this planet, we are becoming more and more reactive creatures.
How about we give ourselves permission to use our brains, think a bit harder, and do so more often? Because in a complex knowledge society we need common sense and patience as a counterbalance to the news and sensations that we are bombarded with every day.
But who is taking the time for it? But if we don’t, we surf on the wave crest instead of diving or swimming to take a slower approach and get deeper.
"Conquering our mind is the most significant win we will experience in our lifetime. A negative mind will never produce a positive life. The quality of our thoughts reveals themselves in our words, behavior, habits, thinking, beliefs, values, discussions, and experiences.” – Coach George Raveling
TAKE.WITH.YOU
There is no doubt that the world is moving fast but the ones that are deliberate and take their time are the ones who stay ahead.