It takes a long time to build anything worthwhile.
- Building a house = slow.
- Building a relationship = slow.
- Building trust = slow.
- Building a great company = slow.
- Growing a tree = slow.
- Writing a book = slow.
- Recording an album = slow.
- Painting a painting = slow.
This isn’t really all that surprising. What’s really interesting is how quickly these things can go away.
- A house can be demolished with a few explosives.
- A relationship can be destroyed in an instant.
- Trust can disappear in a moment.
- A company can dissolve without warning.
- A tree can be uprooted by a big storm.
- A manuscript, a recording tape, or a painting can be thrown in a fire (thankfully this is getting harder to do with digital media).
There are a couple of lessons here, I think.
First, we should probably be more patient. Growing something good always takes time.
Second, most of us operate under the myth that all change is slow. But that’s only one kind of change: The “growing” kind.
If you want quick change, all you need to do is get rid of something. That kind of change is FAST, and it’s not always as destructive as my examples here. (For example, get rid of your performance reviews.)
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NOTE: This post was inspired by this conversation.
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