I’m coming to you a day late, which flows into this week’s entry.  Last week was about parenting and the art of setting expectations. This week is about taking a little extra time for things.

This week my family went on a short trip to Mammoth Cave and Louisville, KY.  We were supposed to come back home on Tuesday.  However, on Monday night my wife and I decided that we would extend our vacation a day and not come home until Wednesday afternoon.  We would spend a little extra time together on our adventure.  That little extra time made all the difference.  It gave us all a little more time to disconnect from the busy world and reconnect with each other.  I gained an extra day of exploring, trying new places, and snuggling with my girls at night.  That is priceless.  I’m so thankful my wife and I decided to take a little extra time, instead of rushing home.

How does this connect with anything?  We live in a world that is built to make us feel rushed.  It’s a world that is designed to make everything feel urgent and important, so we feel compelled to respond immediately.  However, we can choose NOT to react to everything immediately.  We can choose to take a little extra time.  We can take a little extra time to feel and process the emotions we feel before moving forward.  We can take a little extra time before responding to that email or conversation that got us all fired up.  We can take a little extra time to ask the question to ensure we are truly clear on what the team is trying to deliver.  we can take a little extra time to ensure the solution we are thinking about is something a customer really wants.  We can take a little extra time to ensure our communication is clear.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve found when I take a little extra time on all of those situations the outcome is always better. 

The challenge: Will you slow down to take a little extra time where it matters?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry