As some of you know, there is a 2003 Miata in my garage that I have been mostly not working on building into a race car for the last 4 years, even if I have made some progress. I have installed a supercharger (though not active yet) and a racing radiator and clutch as well as a working radio. And progress has been slow. Each time I go to work on it, I have expectations to get a lot done and I spend most of my time trying to figure out where last left off and what the next steps are. It was clear as mud, like trying to work looking through muddy water. As I have been doing my work to calm my mind and let go of expectations the last two years, I have been feeling much more centered and present, especially this week. When my son Alex and I went to the garage late Tuesday afternoon, I didn’t have much time and didn’t set any expectations at all. He was playing with LED taillights and I was going to start looking at installing the gauges needed for the super charger. That is how I thought of it, start looking at that, not that I would get it done (expectations). It was amazing how everything just flowed. I started by running a wiring harness from the passanger side of the driver’s side. While doing that, I noticed the position I was in allowed me to finish adjusting the clutch that I had given up on a couple of times since I couldn’t access it in what I had thought was the best position. I tied wires up out of the way, learned about connecting the gauge wiring, ran the boost pressure hose, and set up the gauges in the new A-pillar trim piece I will install later. I was just feeling like that might be enough when my wife, Tonya, stuck her head out the door and asked me to help make dinner. That is what I did, and it was only 30-40 minutes after I entered the garage. Reflecting back on that later, I got more done than I had in similar times over the past years and it was fun and chill, not stressed at all. It was as if I was working in clear, still water, clearly able to see what I was doing, moving slowly and deliberately, instead of my normal Tasmanian devil speed stirring up the mud and feeling very busy and a little frustrated, without accomplishing as much. This is the first example I have seen of getting more done by moving slower and not having set expectations. I know that is how I want to live my life and run my career going forward, even if it is less productive or efficient, but in this experience, it was much more effective. It makes me wonder how many times during my career I worked much harder than I needed to by making the water muddy or not giving it time to settle and clear. And how much value I might have destroyed by muddying the water when I thought I was creating value.
It’s much more fun to work in clear water, to have a clear and calm mind, and move slowly and deliberately.
What is your experience? Do you like muddy or clear water? Do you see times you have muddied it? Have you seen times where moving slower was much more effective? Something to think about as you give the water time to clear.
Have a great weekend and Happy Thanksgiving!
Art
