Tuesday, April 23, 2013


T

Timid

I am a do it in a New York minute kind of gal.  I am always trying to move forward and get it done as quickly as possible.

Lately I have noticed that this rush towards a goal attitude may not always be the best path forward.   I have always negatively associated slow with old so have mindlessly rallied against slowing down.

Children are timid while they are learning new things and entering new situations.  They instinctively know this is the safest way to move forward.

Working with my safety department they have taught me the importance of progressing forward timidly and only when we are sure that it is safe.

I recently interviewed someone who gave me the best answer ever about stopping work if it seemed unsafe.  Everyone else (30+ interviewees) quickly said, “I would stop the work immediately.”   My star interviewee stated that he would assess the situation and only stop the work if stopping it would not put someone in immediate danger.  Again, the thoughtful, timid approach was the smartest option.

While this is counter intuitive for me I have learned that the best path forward may be the take the time to observe and thoughtfully choose what is best.

With ages comes wisdom, but only if you seek it.  I am constantly seeking growth.  I can’t help the getting older part.  I am just waiting to be old enough to say whatever I want and get away with it.

3 comments:

  1. Hmm. Sometimes I'm good at stopping and thinking something through. But only if I'm at stuck on what to do.

    Rinelle Grey

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  2. Great advice to stop and be thoughtful sometimes. I share with you that desire to be able to let my words fly when I'm older :)

    Chontali Kirk
    chontalikirk.blogspot.com

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  3. Great advice! There's a song by the country band Alabama that says it all for me and I often find myself singing it in my head when I need to slow down.

    I'm in a hurry to get things done
    Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
    All I really gotta do is live and die
    But I'm in a hurry and don't know why

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