I don’t know when our pace of life started with “fast” as the coordinate. Fast food, express delivery, making quick money, and so on have become the standard for measuring the situation, and people are also adapting to this rapidly changing era. Short videos are rapidly rising, from the elderly to young children, one by one, enjoying themselves. Short videos take the fast-paced to the extreme, with short video duration, limited content, and multiple scenes, seamlessly switching between them. Without even thinking, they bring you into the stream of the video, effortlessly and quickly.
Our values and outlook on life have also undergone rapid changes in the era. We all long for “overnight fame,” “once and for all,” and “overnight wealth” to change our destiny. We wish we could work hard today and succeed tomorrow. We are eager for success, anxious, like ants on a hot pot, carried forward by the times. We see “slow” as a shame, and our patience becomes increasingly limited and shallow.
Fast pace “has brought convenience to our lives, improved efficiency, changed our lives, created more wealth, and enabled rapid social development. We have completed nearly 300 years of industrialization in developed countries in just a few decades, which is truly a world miracle! Everything has its advantages and disadvantages, and the rapid development of society has also created illusions in our spiritual world, such as” overnight fame “and” overnight wealth “!
Do you not know that this world is never subject to human will. It is impossible for us to become famous overnight or become rich overnight, but the idea of becoming famous and becoming rich overnight is not wrong. How to achieve your dreams in an era where you can’t stop?
It is necessary to slow down and gaze at the lost soul in the vortex of entanglement. Can you feel if your ‘shoes’ fit well? Looking around at the turning point while drifting with the flow, a slight breeze, and a brief pause are enough to wash away physical and mental exhaustion.
Don’t worry, slow down. Perhaps it’s the fastest path because we have to walk the entire journey. Will the same content be different if one actively participates instead of just passing by? I remember a visitor saying that they had never paid attention to which shops were in front of their house? If I change direction, how many shops are there in front of the door? Which one do you often go to? Find your favorite store on the same street, isn’t it different? Proactively embracing life and going with the flow are two completely different outcomes.
Don’t worry, slowing down also requires methods. Let’s start with a story.
Yamada Motoichi is a famous Japanese marathon runner. He won the world championship twice in the international marathon races of 1984 and 1987. In his autobiography, he wrote: “Before each race, I would carefully review the race route by car and draw prominent signs along the way, such as the first sign being a bank, the second sign being a strange big tree, and the third sign being a tall building… This was done until the end of the race. After the race started, I rushed towards the first target at a speed of 100 meters, and when I reached the first target, I rushed towards the second target at the same speed. With a race of over 40 kilometers, it was much easier to run. At first, I set my goal on the flag of the finish line, but when I ran more than ten kilometers, I was exhausted because… I was scared by the distant road ahead.” This story clearly tells us the path and method to achieve our goal. Break down the goals into practical and measurable small objectives. When we achieve a small goal, we receive a positive motivation in a timely manner, generating the drive to move towards the next goal. This motivational effect is very significant, which we call the ‘minimum success experience’. It is a valuable experience of gradually achieving big goals in small steps without realizing it.
Marathon races require a gradual and incremental approach, as we strive to achieve our goals, whether it be fame or sudden wealth. Without taking small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles; without accumulating small streams, one cannot form a river or sea. Fast is achieved through slow. Slow work and meticulous work are the highest rewards for being slow. Clay figurine Zhang once said: Even if the steps of an object are the same, working slowly can actually hone one’s inner self. Only in a calm and focused process can one complete a good work. This is called “flow” in psychology, which can make us more creative and reduce inner stress and anxiety. The process of achieving goals becomes a process of enjoying creativity. At this moment, smart you, what do you think?