Efficiency

I was re-reading some passages from a book by the famous coach and author John Wooden.  In it he mentions that one needs to be quick, however, not necessarily in a hurry.  I liked the deeper meaning of this, as it brought to mind that we can sometimes miss the great details about something if we are not looking because we may be in a hurry.  I was quickly reminded about the commercial from a few years ago where a whale watcher is out on an excursion boat and when she reaches into her bag for some gum, is precisely the time when a whale jumps out of the water and she misses the ability to capture that moment on her camera.  In life we all have those moments that we wish would have lasted longer in order for us to savor the feeling and exhilaration.  Many of us are very good about being task oriented and work very well with a set schedule or agenda at hand.   While there are others that get lost in the excessive planning or over-calculating of something, that may allow for a missed deadline or less than optimal result.  In a connected manner, one can look at the definition of efficiency which could mean that you are utilizing your resources to the best of your ability with the time that you have.  The question then turns into how to strike the right balance between the two.  In the coaching world of Mr. Wooden, he made his players realize the difference, which also translated into good advice for living a well balanced life.  As simple as the the suggestion is to pick the right time and place to choose being efficient versus being in a hurry, it can cause consternation among many if they feel they selected the wrong one.  I find that when you do things in a hurry, you tend to miss things and sometimes the quality can be less than what was desired.  Whether it is the details, nuances or other intangibles that could make your experience a more well rounded one, it is imperative to know the difference.  If you were to be more focused on being efficient, then this changes your perspective.  This does not necessarily mean that speed can cause a deficiency, it simply means that you will be able to arrive at your desired goal in the best way possible.  The next time you find yourself filled with the dilemma of being in a hurry because time may be getting away from you, think about how you can plan to be more efficient, so that you can be in the moment.  Time is of utmost value to all of us and I heard a line in a song not too long ago that stated this in the most eloquent way. The recording artist is Kacey Musgraves and she states, "Say what you think, love who you love, 'cause you just get so many trips 'round the sun, yeah, you only live once".