There're so many angles on this. In the Army we called it Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast. I might just go ahead and ping-pong Slowicism 2.0 back at you in the future since I love the word. Interestingly enough, Slowicism has a lot in common with Taoism, specifically the concept of Wu Wei which can also mean intentional non-action.
Ohhh yeah. I figured this was a good way to get the ball rolling at both ends, and I got the idea from that draft you invited me to work on a while back (Just Don't Be Stupid) - https://www.polymathicbeing.com/p/just-dont-be-stupid - and I figured that an idea with a shoutout would move things forward just as well. Glad this worked out!
Loved this. Jits is a great example. Staying internally calm while continuing to execute in high pressure situation is essential so you don’t break your own limbs inside of a tight entanglement (a guy broke his own foot in my toe hold that I was trying to just control and not use to submit…)
My dad has definitely been your first example in the restaurants pause and paraphrase situation countless times in my past. Makes me wonder how many times he received the homemade mayo on a burger…
I hate the feeling of trying very hard not to hurt someone, then doing it anyway (because of an unexpected dumb movement, usually). It doesn't happen often and hasn't in many years, but little moments like these have really stuck with me.
I've also learned how to put my own hoof in my mouth way less, but still working on that one!
In dance, the phrase that helped me most was, “When in doubt, walk in a circle.” The concept is that if you forget the next move, as long as you keep moving (do an eight count walk in a circle), the audience won’t know that you’ve forgotten the next move. This of course works better when you’re doing a solo dance versus an ensemble piece… the slowing down, or breaking eye contact with the frightening spotlight, allows the brain to reset. The dancer can hear the music without the stage-fright-pressure bearing down on them and often remember what comes next by the end of the circle.
Fantastic. I once heard a singer say that she would sing the word "watermelon" if she couldn't remember the words!
The same is certainly true with movement regarding jiu jitsu. Sometimes, if I'm not sure what to do next, a little movement simply creates those opportunities, kind of like the dance gives your mind a chance to figure out that next step.
That's a solid reference guide to best business practices, IMO, though I read it only after having been in business for a number of years. I would place that one up there near Covey or Gerber's seminal tomes (I'm kind of a business book nerd, or at least I once was one).
But also, to address the stoicism comment: very good observation. I think a lot of the better biz books incorporate stoic practices, even directly at times.
I am a big fan of "slow down", even though I sometimes fail to practice what I preach. Procrastination is a superpower! It came in handy for scientific research where things can change rapidly and software is more difficult to change than write.
Same, though it can also be easy for me to get into a pattern of slower activity for a number of months (or maybe even years), though "slower" is certainly relative!
There're so many angles on this. In the Army we called it Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast. I might just go ahead and ping-pong Slowicism 2.0 back at you in the future since I love the word. Interestingly enough, Slowicism has a lot in common with Taoism, specifically the concept of Wu Wei which can also mean intentional non-action.
More on all that here: https://www.polymathicbeing.com/p/slow-is-smooth-and-smooth-is-fast
Ohhh yeah. I figured this was a good way to get the ball rolling at both ends, and I got the idea from that draft you invited me to work on a while back (Just Don't Be Stupid) - https://www.polymathicbeing.com/p/just-dont-be-stupid - and I figured that an idea with a shoutout would move things forward just as well. Glad this worked out!
Loved this. Jits is a great example. Staying internally calm while continuing to execute in high pressure situation is essential so you don’t break your own limbs inside of a tight entanglement (a guy broke his own foot in my toe hold that I was trying to just control and not use to submit…)
My dad has definitely been your first example in the restaurants pause and paraphrase situation countless times in my past. Makes me wonder how many times he received the homemade mayo on a burger…
I hate the feeling of trying very hard not to hurt someone, then doing it anyway (because of an unexpected dumb movement, usually). It doesn't happen often and hasn't in many years, but little moments like these have really stuck with me.
I've also learned how to put my own hoof in my mouth way less, but still working on that one!
In dance, the phrase that helped me most was, “When in doubt, walk in a circle.” The concept is that if you forget the next move, as long as you keep moving (do an eight count walk in a circle), the audience won’t know that you’ve forgotten the next move. This of course works better when you’re doing a solo dance versus an ensemble piece… the slowing down, or breaking eye contact with the frightening spotlight, allows the brain to reset. The dancer can hear the music without the stage-fright-pressure bearing down on them and often remember what comes next by the end of the circle.
Fantastic. I once heard a singer say that she would sing the word "watermelon" if she couldn't remember the words!
The same is certainly true with movement regarding jiu jitsu. Sometimes, if I'm not sure what to do next, a little movement simply creates those opportunities, kind of like the dance gives your mind a chance to figure out that next step.
I taught the "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" in the early 1990s. It could be a manual for stoicism in the workplace.
That's a solid reference guide to best business practices, IMO, though I read it only after having been in business for a number of years. I would place that one up there near Covey or Gerber's seminal tomes (I'm kind of a business book nerd, or at least I once was one).
But also, to address the stoicism comment: very good observation. I think a lot of the better biz books incorporate stoic practices, even directly at times.
I am a big fan of "slow down", even though I sometimes fail to practice what I preach. Procrastination is a superpower! It came in handy for scientific research where things can change rapidly and software is more difficult to change than write.
Same, though it can also be easy for me to get into a pattern of slower activity for a number of months (or maybe even years), though "slower" is certainly relative!