The trend is to be successful at a young age. To become a millionaire before 30. And to achieve all the things we want a lot faster than everyone else.

If you’d ask me how, I don’t really know. But for sure, that sounds like a lot of hard work.

Real hard work.

And for some people, the way to get there is not just hard work, but to be fast — really fast.

This, as a result, creates a problem: Everyone now believes that everything should be accomplished fast. Right?

Because if we’re slow, we lose. Right?

If we’re slow, we might miss that opportunity. We might fail to provide for our loved ones. We won’t earn that money.

And if we’re slow, everything around us becomes reaaalllly slowwwww, too (if you know what I mean).

I don’t encourage being slow, of course. There are advantages to being fast.

And I don’t encourage wasting time and procrastinating.

Because I get it. Seriously, I get it.

I’m just like everyone else — I work hard to support my loved ones, pay the bills, and pursue my dreams.

And most of the time I want to be fast. To be really really fast so I can achieve all my tasks and plans and dreams and everything I desire a lot quicker than the Flash.

Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough. That my hard work is not enough. That my hustle is not enough. That I… am… slow.

Yes I am slow.

But I know I can be fast if I have to.

It’s just that, I realize some things take time. Some things are not meant to be accomplished in a month or year. Some things need an incredible amount of time (and energy) to develop and grow.

In other words, being fast isn’t always a requirement. Sometimes we need to take it slowly and just be present in the process — whatever it is that we’re trying to accomplish.

I can’t stress it enough. But I can attest that:

It is in the process where we learn the most and build our character; not in the result.

And whether we achieve all the things we dreamed of in a year or 10 years, it doesn’t matter.

As long as we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, that’s enough.

I know it sounds easier said than done. And it may not work for every situation. Still, I want to remind myself that life is not a race. Here are my daily reminders:

• Stop competing to be the first.
• Stop forcing things to happen.
• Stop comparing your timeline to others’ timelines.

Just focus on doing and practicing and learning.

Pay attention to the journey.

I love what the renowned Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said,

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”