You're Taking Too Long

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln

 “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” – Abraham Lincoln

 How do I square the above two quotes to be taken together? I have long felt a need to "hustle", though it is funny that when I was attempting to recall the quote above I remembered the word, "hurried". That misremembrance may be telling as I proceed through this reflection. 

 But, now, the older I get, I consider much more the need to stop, to reflect, to put those reflections together in a way that I have not done before. Thinking back, I have long reflected, but those reflections seem to be very similar, evidence of a halt in growth. In many ways, I am still a babe, immature. I may always be immature in some ways, but there should be other ways that manfulness is afforded me through grace and faith. 

 I searched time management in the book for Proverbs and discovered many dichotomies as in the Lincoln quotes: either wait on God, or hustle. In all of my disdain for semantics (because I am not always a careful chooser of words) I see that there may be something to accuity of language. "Hustle" equates very little with "hurry". In fact, the mere image of a man in hurry is that of the man is stumbling, dropping things; he carries many papers all bundled in his chest, outside of folders, and, as he, in rapid pace, migrates to different locations, drops this and that paper and must go back to retrieve them. "Hustle" equates much more with the term "diligent". And diligence aligns very well with "wait". 

 There are many more things to consider regarding these two ideals, and there union in "diligence". For now, I must put them to exist in the realm of my thinking, no longer in my hands as I write. Finally, I revisit a phrase that came to me years ago when I was in a crucible reflective mode:

 Slow is steady, steady is smooth, smooth is fast. 

 Further Notes:

 I heisted this quote as instructive in the consideration on diligence:

 "The central premise of the philosophy is movement—movement that is considered but also constant and unrelenting."

 Therefore, may I use much more consideration as I approach my movements, may my hustle not be hurried, and may my actions be backed by preparation. 

 For further review are the following quotes on time management, of which these two gave me the insight that led to my conclusion.

 Proverbs 10:4 - A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.


Proverbs 21:5 - The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.


References:
  • https://addicted2success.com/quotes/32-inspirational-abraham-lincoln-quotes/ 
  • https://www.openbible.info/topics/time_management 
  • https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/slow-smooth-fast-what-seal-delta-force-operators-can-teach-joe-indvik/ 

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