On the other day while I was narrating the story of the
popular Aesop fable “The Hare and the Tortoise” to my daughter, something
sparked in my mind…We all should stop thinking about the speed (Pace)…rather we
should think Velocity…What is the difference?
Hmmm…You should know the difference if you had passed the 7th
class physics…anyway…here is the refresher, Speed is just the number …like 50
miles/kilometer per hour. It does not
tell in which direction. Velocity is both the number and the direction…50 miles/kilometer
per hour towards North.
As you can see now, it does not add an iota of value to your
life if you travel so fast in the wrong
direction. Many of us do that…we put our money in the wrong investment…we
choose to pursue the education in the wrong field ….We chose the wrong job….and
the list is endless. It is high time that we think velocity and not Speed
alone..because
Speed is efficiency, Velocity is
effectiveness
Speed is Doing the Things right ,Velocity is Doing the right things
You may ask how to get into the mode of velocity…the answer
lies in the “ Thinking Time” . When was the last time you had undisturbed
thinking time of 10 minutes about your life? You got to form the habit of thinking
time ….It could be about your day,about your finance, about your career, about
your personal life…whatever that is important to you. Japanese have a culture of
“Reflection” (Hansei) built-in their
life. This culture is attributed as one of the key reasons for their penchant
of continuous improvement
I have in the recent past trying to form this habit of “focused
thinking”. I wake up around 5:45 am (I wish it is 4:00 am) just before the dust
for the starts kicking in and just reflect on the happenings the day before and
what lies ahead in the day ahead. I record the new stuff on the todoist &
form a To Do list based on the priorities. As a self-appraisal, while I am
operating only at 10-15% effectiveness, this gives a refreshing feeling at the
end of the day when I complete my To Dos…
The highest level of effectiveness is when all your actions for the day are congruent
with the purpose of your life. If you strive for this, Speed does not
matter..as long as it is one step after the next
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