WorldWide Drilling Resource

18 SEPTEMBER 2015 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® The Myth of the Quick Fix by Tim Connor Why is it so many people today are in such a hurry to change things, fix things, and get nowhere fast? Seriously, what's the rush? No one can know what will happen in the next minute, day, or year. So why is humanity trying to take total control of their future? Is it insecurity, fear, arrogance, or some other dysfunctional life approach? I'm not being disrespectful to those of you who feel rushing is just the way life is and to get through it you have to swim with the current, but come on, no one knows how much time they have left and no one - and I mean no one - will get everything they want, solve every problem to their satisfaction, achieve every goal, or do everything they want to do while they are here. It's just the way life is, always has been, and always will be. I like to achieve, be in control, get things done on my schedule, but life keeps nudging me with this often-subtle message: You are not in control of everything and never will be, so what's your rush? We all face challenges and problems, have things on our to-do lists, need to get decisions made now, and solutions to every issue sooner rather than later, but life is a wonderful teacher. So the question is: Are we good students, or will we spend more time than we want or is necessary in detention or time out? I will guarantee that today something or someone will disappoint you, and why? For starters, all disappointment is grounded in expectations and no one can control other’s behavior or most of life's circumstances. Yes, we can try, hope, plan, work, etc., but in the end, life wants us all to learn the lessons we need to learn. If we don't pay attention to the subtle urgings life sends us, it will one day hit us over the head with a whack (pay attention, grow, learn - it's time!) The quick fix - do it now, fix it now, change it now, solve it now, learn it now, let it go now, go there now - get it - the common denominator is now . Problem is, now can take a lot longer than this moment, day, or even year. Some lessons take time. All growth takes time and most of life's issues can't be fixed now because they require more than a knee-jerk response to their causes or contributors. Learning is a process, and until we accept we can't control all of life's conditions, we will live with frustration, anxiety, fear, and a great deal of stress. And it's all unnecessary, but tell it to the people who want answers and results now. We often feel or believe quick actions and decisions fix things and we can now move on to the next challenge or action, but let me ask you - have you ever thought something was solved and finished and before you knew it, it reared its ugly head once again? And why is this? For starters, our quick responses, decisions, and solutions to issues, needs, or wants are often made or taken without adequate knowledge, preparation, or conscious awareness of potential consequences or with agendas that just don't work. We hope things will turn out right. Yes, hope is a wonderful life approach, but in the end, just hoping will never be enough. Sooner or later we have to do something that moves us in the right direction. What we do, if we want favorable outcomes or results, must be done with maturity, awareness, consideration of future possibilities, and patience. These are traits many people lack today. Why? Is it the relentless and dramatic increase in available information? Is it a gradual increase in arrogance or self-righteousness? Or is it something more? I watch people drive fast, eat fast, click here for instant answers and solutions, spend far too much time playing with their “communication toys” and the result is - they are addicted to instant. Well, I don't care how fast your gadget searches, life is not instant and never will be. As long as you continue to believe if you don't get an answer to your question or information needs in seconds, you will live with frustra- tion, which leads to stress, which leads to illness, which can lead to death. Is it worth it? You can't get everything done today. You can't do everything you want in your lifetime. I'm not suggesting we not have plans, goals, wants, dreams, etc., but as we live the days of our lives we learn to focus on what really matters, and it is not having more online friends, screens filled with links to dozens of sites, participating in endless electronic conversations, or trying to convince the world we are in charge. You are not and never will be, so why not just relax and live your life and what it brings to you as the hours and days pass? In His service, Tim To receive Tim’s weekly FREE motivational booster articles, contact him at www.timconnor.com with “please add me to your free booster e-mail subscriber list” in the subject line. Or contact him via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com