#37 - Impatience with Actions, Patience with Results
Hello,
As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.
The ideas collected in this newsletter are simple: whatever you always wanted to do, start now, be impatient with actions and patient with results, slow down to go fast, and stay in the game long enough to - maybe 😉! - see the Big Magic happen.
You Are Neither Too Old, Nor Too Young. You're Just Right
"You've heard hundreds of people of all ages explain their mediocre performance in life something like this: "I'm too old (or too young) to break in now. I can't do what I want to do or am capable of doing because of my age handicap." Really, it's surprising how few people feel they are "just right" age wise. And it's unfortunate. This excuse has closed the door of real opportunity to thousands of individuals. They think their age is wrong, so they don't bother to try. (...) In quick recap, the cure for age 'excuisitis' is: (1) Look at your present age positively. (2) Compute how much productive time you've left - life is actually longer than most people think! (3) Invest future time in doing what you really want to do."
Impatience with Actions, Patience with Results
"Anything you have to do, just get it done. Why wait? You're not getting any younger. Your life is slipping away. You don;t want to spend it waiting in line. You don't want to spend it travelling back and forth. You don't want to spend it doing things you know ultimately aren't part of your mission.
When you do them, you want to do them as quickly as you can while doing them with your full attention. But then, you just have to be patient with the results because you're dealing with complex systems and many people."
The Plateau of Latent Potential
Source: “Atomic Habits”, by James Clear
"We often expect the progress to be linear. At the very least, we hope it will come quickly. In reality, the results of our efforts are often delayed. It is not until months or years later that we realize the value of the previous work we have done. This can result in a "valley of disappointment" where people feel discouraged after putting in weeks or months of hard work without experiencing any results. However, this work was not wasted. it was simply being stored. It is not until much later that the full value of previous effort is revealed"
Speeding Up Isn't the Answer
"In the Quantum world view – where everything connects – we accept that our challenges are complex. We recognize, too, that we need to pace the speed of our work, slowing down in some moments for deeper dialogue and understanding of our challenges and speeding up elsewhere.
Perhaps the most important element of the Quantum world view is knowing that solutions are always available and require only that we be conscious enough to see them. If we are, we set the right attention (we’re fully present) and intention, directing our energy to the solutions we want to emerge."
Your First 200 Days to Launch a Company Turnaround
"My experience, you’ve got 100 days to figure it out, 100 days to operationalize it and get going. Knowing that it’s not going to be perfect, you’re going to have to course correct along the way.
That’s how I see managing turnarounds, which I’ve done everywhere I’ve been.
Some people would say that’s too slow for a turnaround. I find, if you go a little slow at first, you can go fast later on, because everybody’s felt, heard and been part of the process. If you go real fast out of the gate, it’s your idea and nobody owns it. And you’re off leading the team only to turn around and see the team is back at the starting line. So, there’s an art to this. You’ve got to bring people along with you. And I think the first 200 days are the most critical with that. You declare yourself and then you create a plan to bring it to life."
When It's for Love, You Will Always Do It Anyhow
"Creative living is stranger than other, more worldly pursuits. The usual rules do not apply. In normal life, if you're good at something and you work hard at it, you will likely succeed. In creative endeavors, maybe not. Or maybe you will succeed for a spell, and then never succeed again. (...) In short, the goddess of creative success may show up for you, or she may not. Probably best, then, if you don't count on her, or attach your definition of personal happiness to her whims.
Maybe better to reconsider your definition of success, period.
For my own part, I decided early on to focus on my devotion to my work, above all. That would be how I measured my worth. I knew that conventional success would depend upon three factors - talent, luck, and discipline - and I knew that two of those three things would never be under my control.
Do what you love to do, and do it with both seriousness and lightness. At least you will know that you have tried and that - whatever the outcome - you have traveled a noble path.
When it's for love, you will always do it anyhow."
You Ain't Getting Any Younger, Are You?
Keep healthy and safe, and whatever you always wanted to do, start now
Arina
Illustration: adapted from “The Almanack of Naval Ravikant”