Why faster isn't always better

"When things speed up, slow down", attributed to the Hopi 

We live in a time where speed is considered more important than almost anything else: accuracy, due diligence, wisdom, insight or reflection.  But, as many of us have learnt the hard way, speed can have its limitations.  Speed can be a false economy.

It is one thing to take a decision quickly, because it feels right - because it aligns with a deep sense of knowing.  It is quite another to take a decision quickly because we feel we have to, in order to prove that we 'know what we are doing', that we are 'decisive', or that we are 'courageous'.

Stuart and I believe that decision making - once we have established facts and figures - is a much richer process.  The loop at the very heart of our logo is symbolic of several dimensions of our philosophy.  In this instance, it is reflection and alignment that I would like to consider.

Imagine a double loop - just like the figure '8' - at the intersection of the double loop is each individual.  Our essence.  Our Internal world.  Once we have taken a moment to come into ourselves, rather than rushing, racing and responding to external stimuli, we can become still, calm and focused...  

Then we naturally move up... to the Eternal... Rather like clearing the mind in meditation, tuning into the Eternal essence of All That Is allows us to access deeper wisdom, to tap into deeper levels of intuition and knowing than we can access in day to day life.  

We then come back Inside, back down to the fulcrum point, the point of intersection again, our Internal world... digesting and reflecting on our insights.  

It is only then that we go outwards, extending out into the External world, symbolised by the lower half of the loop.  It is in the External world that we can act, we can do, we can create and experiment.  

And, as the double loop constantly repeats itself, we then come back into our Internal world to reflect and consider what we have experienced... And then, once again, we extend up into the Eternal world, deepening our reflection and refining our actions.  Action that comes from reflection can prove to be much richer, more refined and subtle than knee-jerk responses we have unconsciously developed over time.

And so the flow continues: from our Internal world, up to the External world, back through the filter of our Internal world again, and then out into the External world.

In this way, our actions are enriched with wisdom, creativity and innovation: the natural by-products of going slower, of refusing to rush, and of taking time to consider the heart of the issue, not just its symptoms.