Do You Function At
Your Natural Pace?

Some of us are wired to zip around the planet at warp speed while others are more deliberate.

If you're one of the speedier types, you might want to step back and question whether this is your natural rhythm or whether you've revved up your tempo to please some significant person in your life.

Here's a story that illustrates how this happens:

When Marty was a little girl, she was very meticulous in everything she did. Whether it was cutting out photos of models from women's magazines or sorting her toys, she had an innate desire to do it well, to the best of her ability. She learned this from her father, Tom, who was an artist. She loved to watch him work and saw how carefully he approached his painting projects.

Tom also observed this trait in his daughter, but rather than admire it, he found it amusing. Marty was always late for dinner, because her mother would call while she was in the middle of doing something, and she would take a few extra minutes to finish it 'properly'. Tom often came to see what was delaying her, and began calling her 'snail', as in, “Hey Snail, it's time for dinner!” Then he'd laugh.

Marty began to feel there was something wrong with her, that somehow she was 'too slow'. So she deliberately increased her tempo. By the time she finished high school, she could read twice as fast as the average person, finish tests or exams before most of the other students, and think faster than many people with a far higher IQ. When she went on a date, she was one of the few girls in her peer group who could put on make-up and be out the door in less than five minutes.

This speed comes at a price. Marty is constantly anxious. She is anxious because she is not performing at her natural rhythm, and because when she does something fast, she feels she doesn't do it well. And this offends her deep need to do things to her own high standards.

Unless she changes, Marty will be anxious her whole life.


Yes, we live in a fast paced world and it's a positive thing to be able to keep up when necessary. But we pay a price for this. Our lives seem to flash by so quickly and often we're hard pressed to come up with one example of something we really enjoyed each day. We die with a To Do list clutched in our hands and regret that we didn't take the time to do all those wonderful things that have nothing to do with achievement and everything to do with being. 

If you're naturally fast in your thoughts and movements - and you feel comfortable with your tempo - then there isn't a problem. But a sense of anxiety may be a sign that you need to examine your pace. Everyone benefits from taking time out to relax. If it's difficult for you to slow down, try some relaxation audios or take a meditation class. You'll accomplish even more in your 'uptime' if you schedule a little downtime.

And if you're a slower-paced individual, pat yourself on the back and don't let anyone bully you into speeding up. Remind them that you're about quality, not speed. 

One of the ways people have described that deep state of concentration that occurs when performing any kind of meticulous task is 'the zone'. The zone is different for everyone. For many people, when they enter the zone time stands still, and all that exists is the person and the task at hand. Worrying about time constraints will take you out of the zone and into a 'hurrying' mode.

The most realistic phrase I've ever heard with respect to a completing a task is 

"It'll take as long as it takes."

Use it next time someone asks you to estimate a time frame.



Disclaimer:  This site is purely educational and we make no claims or guarantees with regard to the information presented. Please consult a certified NLP practitioner for individual coaching in the use of NLP techniques. We strongly advise consulting a financial industry professional before embarking on a wealth creation journey.