Don’t Force It Through | Shorts

One of the best things that you can do in times of struggle is do nothing at all. Delaying can be the best course of action. While you wait you can find and gather more intelligence about the best way to jump in.

There’s a story I read one day that brought a great perspective to this:

An architect built a cluster of office buildings around a central green. When construction was completed, the landscape crew asked him where he wanted the sidewalks. “Not yet,” was the architect’s reply, “just plant the grass solidly between the buildings.

This was done, and by late summer the new lawn was laced with pathways of trodden grass, connecting building to building. These paths turned in easy curves and were sized according to the traffic flow.

In the fall, the architect simply paved paths. Not only were the paths beautiful, they responded directly to user needs.

Great software engineer, Rick Tendy puts it this way:

I never try to solve a problem by trying to solve it.

Slow and steady in our approach like the turtle above is a great tactical strategy. Can you imagine weighing as much as that turtle and moving from spot to spot without pausing to think, only to get to a spot that didn’t have the sun shinning to bath in? He/She would be exhausted by the time it got it right. I bet it learned a long time ago to wait until certain times of the day before it moved it’s bulk across the forest to reach the right spot, at the right time, and get the fullest amount of warmth for the day it could.

You have to stop and think, why are you forcing the issue to move forward? Are there any decision making jumps that can be put off until later? In that waiting, write down what you discover. You may find that there is a better way or a more fruitful approach to your goal.

Delay that approach, give yourself pause, and see what it brings.

Thanks for reading and have a great Sunday, a perfect time to pause and reflect before you start a new week.

Shawn