We have a lot of high achievers reading this blog. A lot of people that want to do well, want to do more, and want to go further in life. To this end, we tend to think of going faster as the best option to get what we want.

But, is it? Is going faster always better? We might argue no; going faster in the wrong direction is a quicker route to failure. We may also suffer from burnout. An unnecessary amount of stress is no longer helpful pressure for growth.

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”

– Gandhi

Interestingly, we tend to seek more pace as if that’s progress itself. We like “busy.” It’s a great default answer for water cooler talk or for friends you haven’t seen in a while. People even say, “Well, that’s better than the opposite.” Only if your goal is to lack effective priorities or feel out of control.

I’d rather answer, “How’re you, busy?” with “Perfectly balanced.” A nice mix of hard work and rest, and I’m getting everything I want to accomplish done in a timely fashion.

“Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.”

– Edwin Teale

More, more, more is not the answer. We will never tell you how much is too much; only you can decide that for yourself. Some people thrive on a fast pace of play (we won’t pretend we don’t like to move quickly), but it can be counterproductive.

Faster does not always equal better. Maybe going slow and doing something thoughtfully is “better.”

This warrants some thought before you start a new project, new goal, or take off running after a shiny new object.

Decide which pace works best for you, put in consistent work, stay focused, and run your race.

Best day ever.