Shortcuts and Speeding

Shortcuts and Speeding

Ramps help.

Shortcuts and speeding. In life, or on the road, neither is likely to get you to your destination way ahead of schedule.  Do the math on 5 or 10 over as it relates to reaction time, stopping distance, in time on arrival.  Say you've got a 60-mile drive (for the sake of easy math) the difference between 60 mph to 120 mph is 30 minutes.  At 90 mph, it's only 15 minutes.  At 75 mph, it's closer to 5 minutes.  Having driven to many emergencies over the years, the ability to safely drive those high-end speed limits is largely a farce.  Your reaction time to anything going wrong or any dynamic variables is significantly reduced and puts you (and all those around you) in harm's way.  This is to say nothing of the difference in a fine for 60, 30, 15 over.  

Sometimes
we need an
assist.

Similarly, the shortcuts of "turn down this back alley" generally don't end up saving you much time in the long run.  Sure, you might get lucky with the detour on a frontage road around a stall on the interstate...or you might just end up stuck in the residential street system with you and your closest 500 clever compatriots.  I'm writing this post shortly after the ChatGPT AI on the main stage moment.  Holy cow, there's a feeling of dread for many out there in the content creation space that the shortcut of AI is going to ruin the blog/vlog/podcast/etc space.  It sure has that potential, but asking yourself honestly why you're doing what you're doing is a critical component of living a meaningful life.  For me, this blog isn't about "making cash" but enjoying the writing and having accountability to stick after it...I don't need the shortcut...nor do I want it.  

Hop a golf
cart cab.

If you're only doing something to check a box or do the minimum to raise a child, be a spouse, earn a paycheck, etc - sure, shortcuts and speeding will get you by for a long time.  If instead, you're trying to live a full and rich life, your best life...avoid the shortcuts and speeding.  Ultimately when you cheat long enough, your whole identity becomes that of a cheater.  When you think about what shortcuts look like in family life, it likely involves putting the wrong things in the top of your priority list.  Are you cheating with your football games by taking time away from family and putting it toward that?  What about sticking around after work until the kids go to bed?  I understand balance and advocate that you have to keep things right-sized...but I know I'm guilty sometimes of taking shortcuts or speeding at home.  

Or a 
subway.

There was a sign in a mechanic shop the other day - "Service - fast, quality, cheap - pick 2."  In other words, you can have fast and cheap service...but it won't be quality.  Similarly, you can have cheap, quality service...but it won't be fast.  There aren't really shortcuts, just dueling tradeoffs that you have to choose carefully from throughout life.  When we talk about home life in terms of calendars or budgets for a minute the "shortcut" of not talking about money or managing your time likely means you'll end up out of sync, frustrated, and spend more time in the long run trying to undo the momentum of the train going the wrong direction for too long.  

Or a bridge.

Over the years, we've tried to be good stewards of finances and share the knowledge of "how to" and "why to" with those in our circles (e.g. teaching the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace course at church).  I don't know how many friends over the years have opted, instead for the get-rich-quick schemes only to realize that there isn't such a thing.  The old truth of "make more than you spend, invest the difference, then wait" is hard to beat and time-tested.  When we try to find shortcuts or speed up the process, there's a chance it'll go right...but a bigger chance that, particularly in this case, you'll end up just missing the critical time for compound interest to get established and take root.  

Or harness
up your dog.

Another example with road trips.  It's tempting to get on the road and hurry along, trying to shave minutes off of the potty stop and fueling up.  Furthermore, speeding along a few over the speed limit with the hope of arriving on time at your destination.  By doing so, you'll likely squish out the margin - you'll end up with a frustrated family, miss seeing the roadside attraction, get a speeding ticket, or be going too quick to miss the deer who jumps into the road.  Perhaps, instead of trying for shortcuts or speeding, just leave an hour early...it'll go better for everyone involved.  The same is true with life.  Speeding and shortcuts shrink margins and make you miss some of the spice of life that makes life worthwhile.  

Or a scooter and
a big hill.

Lastly, as we depart, remember that hurrying things along in seasons of life is a fool's rush.  We may feel like we want to get out of whatever season of life - diaper stage, toddlerhood, teenage years...but when they're gone...they're gone and we can't get them back.  If you visit a nursing home, chances are most of the folks in there would trade you places to go back to your frazzled diaper season of life.  If you, instead, just pour into the season you're in as opposed to rushing you'll be able to look back on life without or without as many regrets as you might've otherwise had.  

With you in the arena, from ours to yours...Happy Trails!

Call to Action: 

• Pick out a few places where you've been speeding or taking shortcuts.  Write out three action steps to get the margin back and balance out the speedometer.  
• 1 - ___________________ 
• 2 - ___________________
• 3 - ___________________
• Discussion: Consider what you/your family could/would/should (level of commitment) and start/stop/sustain (action) in terms of keeping each other accountable for being on the right track...at the right pace.  

Further Reading, Motivation, and References:

- Speeding & Aggressive Driving