Recently I provided the framework for thinking about the comparison of the laws of nature, to the rules of business. As we all know there are undeniable rules for how everything on earth works.
Here again are the five principles of business that we will continue to talk about in the coming months.
- The principle of no shortcuts.
- The principle of embracing failure.
- The principle of serving.
- The principle of operating in the present moment.
- The principle of speed.
This month is principle number five. The principle of operating in the present moment. To-Do lists, tasks, checklists, phone calls, emails, text messages, and endless meetings all must get done daily. However, we must pause long enough to be certain that we don’t miss the point of each activity.
The present moment is counterbalanced by hurry. Meyer Freidman, a Cardiologist in the 1950’s coined the phrase, Hurry Sickness. Freidman defined it this way; “A continuous struggle and unremitting attempt to accomplish or achieve more and more things or participate in more and more events in less and less time.”
Needless to say, Freidman was dealing with people who had become physically sick. He attached the cause of their illness to his patient’s life to the definition of hurry.
In their book The Time Cure, Rosemary Sword and Phillip Zimbardo give us a short quiz to check whether or not we might have become infected with this sickness.
- Moving from one checkout line to another because it looks shorter and faster.
- Counting cars in front of you and getting in the lane that has the least or is going the fastest.
- Multi-tasking to the point of forgetting one of the tasks.
Can you relate?
If you are reading this, and saying to yourself, “Of Course I do these things. They are perfectly normal.” Go a little deeper!
Here are 5 symptoms of hurry sickness:
- Isolation – the feeling of being disconnected, or digitally distracted.
- Lack of care for your body – you don’t have time for a good night’s sleep, or healthy food, or proper exercise.
- Emotional numbness – Empathy is rarely a feeling for you. You live with constant fatigue.
- Restlessness – You actually try to slow down and rest, but you can’t relax.
- Irritability – You get mad, frustrated or just annoyed way too easily.
It is not that this hurriedness is necessarily bad, but without a doubt it is not what is best!
The present moment has become highly undervalued in the new normal of the culture. “In the end your life is no more than what you gave your attention to.” said John Mark Comer in His book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.”
So often we find truth in ancient places. This was written over 2,000 years ago. “Give your entire attention to what is happening right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.”
If you would like to talk about your present moment… please click here to schedule a call with David