"Slow is smooth..."

This weekend I had the pleasure of spending time with my friend, Nate, down in Waco, Texas as he helped me to clean up some old shotguns and rifles that belong to my family. In the end we got to go to the gun range and shoot for a while, and as we left he told me about his favorite part of the movie, “The Patriot”. It is in the beginning where Mel Gibson and his younger sons are helping to rescue his oldest boy. In talking to the boys about how they should fire their rifles, he reminded them that “slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”

Let that sink in for a second. I am a very forgetful person at times. As a traveling consultant this manifests itself in a myriad of ways, not the least of which is forgetting to pack socks, belts, computer cables, phone chargers, flash drives or leaving said items in dental offices and hotels all over the country. My personal favorite was the time I was leaving on a plane from DFW and I forgot my ID. While I have learned a handful of useful tricks to remind me of important things, I continue to be baffled at my tendency to forget both minor and major details.

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. I wondered today what it would look like if I slowed down just for a second before I went on my next business trip, made my next big purchase, or settled on my next decision. I can certainly relate to fast being sloppy and sloppy being slow. So here is to doing it right the first time even if it takes just a little bit longer.