We know intellectually and instinctively that the pace of change is slow. Nature shows us how things evolve and change over time, adapting to times of abundance and times of lack.

Once in a while, some cataclysmic event will occur that disrupts that gradual process of change: fire, tornado, hurricane.

But even the rebuilding is often slow, deliberate, measured.

In our human world, however, we have created an unprecedented pace of change. It seems that some new technology is disrupting our way of life on a nearly yearly basis. Maybe more often now.

It’s hard to keep up, and more and more studies are showing that we really aren’t. Our bodies simply can’t adapt to this rapid pace of change. It’s one of the reasons that stress, depression, and other mental health disorders are being reported at all-time highs.

But we can’t slow progress down. Right? We have to keep up. We have to take advantage of the latest technology, the hottest trends, and the ever-changing social media algorithms.

OR – we’ll lose ground to our competitors. We’ll become irrelevant.

I did a podcast interview this week with Carissa Reiniger, the Founder and CEO of Silver Lining, Inc. which will air in early September. I don’t usually talk about these interviews before they air because I want you to hear my guests in their own voices, but our conversation touched on something so important that I wanted to bring it forward now.

Carissa, who has a background in Behavioral Psychology, noted that changing behavior takes time. It’s an incremental choice-by-choice, day-by-day process that builds and grows.

Business is often the same way. It takes time to build a business – usually. Yes, there are companies that are seemingly overnight sensations, but I’d guess that there are a lot of hours and days and weeks hidden in that “overnight” that get overlooked in the awe of the success.

In today’s immediate gratification culture, we often put that pressure on ourselves – as organizations, companies, entrepreneurs, and individuals.

“Bigger and faster” was the phrase that Carissa used. We think that everything has to be bigger and faster.

Of course, AI is an easy solution to the faster, right? I can just type in a prompt and get my 600 hundred word blog post back in an instant.

But that’s not my voice or my wisdom.

One of the beautiful things about time and experience is the wisdom we accumulate. Wisdom that isn’t found in books or blogs or YouTube videos. Our wisdom. The wisdom that is uniquely ours, an amalgamation of our unique experiences.

Can books, blogs, and videos inform that wisdom? Of course! We need to read and learn and expand our view outside of our own experiences.

But even what we learn is shaped by our wisdom, adds to it, deepens it, and none of that happens overnight. It’s a slow accumulation over time.

Bigger and faster isn’t always the answer.

In fact, it’s usually not the answer.

Yet, that’s what “the world” expects today, so we have to try to deliver it. Now!

At what cost?

Take my books for example. The first writing retreat I went to was all about writing your book in a weekend. Sure. I can write a book in a 3-day weekend. No problem.

NOT!!!

I ended up rewriting it at least twice before it became “Discovering Power: Book One of the Ascending Ladders Series.”

You know what else I learned? I write a lot better when I’m not trying to rush it.

I think we all do things a lot better when we’re not trying to rush them.

But how often are we “in a rush”?

What if we did slow down a bit? What if we savored our work and nourished it rather than rushing through it? What if we settled for 1% few sales this quarter so that we have something even more amazing next quarter or next year or five years from now?  What if we engaged in more long-term strategy than quick fixes?

Not that quick fixes are always bad. Sometimes they are necessary.

But not when they compromise the future.

So, what is YOUR right pace? What pace allows you to adapt, change, and grow without creating the kind of stress that will crush you?

It might be different for you than for me. It might be different in your industry or someone else’s. But I’m guessing it’s not nearly as fast as you are trying to move right now!