Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle!
~ Abe Lincoln
If there is one weakness I have yet to overcome, it's patience. I can't stand it when people driving in the fast lane on the freeway do the speed limit. I get irritated with people who completely ignore the "15 items or less" sign in grocery stores. Be honest, how many fast food drive-thru windows have caused your blood pressure to reach seriously dangerous heights? So what are we to do with Abe Lincoln's words of not waiting for things to come to us but rather aggressively going after them? This one gives me pause because it requires that one know when to be patient and when to make your own reality. In the competitive world we live in today, it appears on the surface that only the ones who hustle come out ahead. They are the ones studying harder, working longer, and driving faster. After mindful meditation on the matter, it is slowly becoming a little clearer for me. What happens if I replace the words harder, longer and faster with smarter? With this reframe of the issue, I am comfortable with accepting that those who come out ahead study smarter, work smarter, and drive smarter. I believe that if I tried the latter, I would end up exactly where it was I was in a hurry to get to in the first place. If I tackle a complex issue one piece at a time, I wouldn't have to pull all night study sessions like in college. If I am better organized and improve my communication, I wouldn't have to consistently work 11 hour days. Finally, if I actually leave my house at a reasonable time, there is no place I can't get to without it being necessary to speed. Of course for a person with no patience, this is easier said than done. However, recognizing a solution to a problem makes it impossible for me to use an excuse to explain away a bad habit.
My challenge to you this week is to reflect on balance. What are those things that you seem to be hustling for, and where can adding the word smarter add value to your life. In the famous children's story, The Tortoise and The Hare, the tortoise proceeding along the path smarter and therefore won the race. Isn't it interesting that the lessons we teach our children are indeed the answers to our lives as we get older? I'm not sure the context of what prompted Abe Lincoln to give us these words of wisdom, but I can assure you he was in a hurry while delivering them. Sometimes the things left behind by those who hustle are a mess and leaders like you and I have no choice but to fix them. The more people you get to slow down and add some brain power to their will power, the more efficient and effective we become.
Alonzo Kelly
President
Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals
