Eliminate Delay
excerpt from “Petites Histoires”
I was excited (see? that’s what happens every time). I had just finished developing a great class and wanted to get Barbara Sher’s authorization to use some of her questionnaires. In addition to being a heck of a motivator, Barbara Sher is the best-selling author of “Wishcraft.” She also happens to be one of my early mentors. In fact, when I started my coaching career, several years ago, she had effectively kicked my butt by sending me an email that said something like “Laura, time to get on the bike and start pedaling.” I had found slightly offensive that she would talk to me that way and had had no choice but to ... get on the bike and start pedaling.
So.
I got onto Barbara’s website.
And I clicked “contact me.”
And when a little screen appeared prompting me to write my message, I did just that.
I kept it short and in addition to making my request, I warmly thanked her for having kicked my butt, years ago.
And I pressed “send.”
(That is correct: I did not proof read my email - the whole “Eliminate Delay” thing, right?)
Within two seconds, a new screen appeared, assuring me that my email had been sent and providing me with a copy of it.
For my records.
The email (which I had just been assured was now safely in Barbara-Sher-International-Best-Selling-Author’s-Inbox) read:
Dear Barbara,
“I want to thank you for licking my butt, years ago.”
I
want
to
thank
you
for
licking
my
butt
years
ago.
Iwanttothankyouforlickingmybuttyearsago.
Licking - my - butt.
There are no words to describe that moment.
Just to be sure, I asked my son Marco (very, very kindly - you never know when the cybergods might want to give you a break and change their minds) to please come look at my screen and tell me what he read.
He walked over slowly, not imagining that anything remotely interesting could live there and as I saw his face light up into the brightest smile - soon becoming a huge fit of hilarity - I knew things were not good.
Yes, the “L” lives very close to the “K” on my keyboard.
Way too close for someone who loves to eliminate delay.
That was years ago and even though I still cringe at the memory, I still move really fast. As you know, I still send invitations to Life Hanging Workshops.
And you know what? It’s ok.
It works much better for me than proof reading ten times, sleeping on it, asking for five opinions and sleeping on it again. It gets my work out and if I need to wince, explain or even apologize, well ... I do.
For someone else however, being very deliberate and slow moving will make them feel at peace and therefore call forth their best work.
The truth is that we all have our own styles and the trouble only comes when we beat ourselves up for it. When we resist it. Or when we allow other people’s idea of “how it should be done” to get in our very own way.
So here’s to all of us: slow, fast, cautious or messy.
And here’s to thanking famous authors for ... well, you know.
Oh boy.
“Life does not have to be hard. It can be deliciously sweet.”
