Imagine you are driving a car and want to turn right. You turn the steering wheel – but nothing happens. The car continues to drive straight for about 100 meters before slowly starting to veer to the right. Doesn't sound like a safe car, does it? And it would be a stressful experience, because we are used to reacting instantly to a change in direction. It's the same every time we start something new.
We want immediate results when we start something new.
But life is not like that. When we start something new, we come up against the principle of lag. This means that there is a period of time between action and results. Lag can be very frustrating. Because when you start something new, you have a vision for success. And the lag means you might not see this achievement for a long time.
My worst lag experience was when I started blogging two years ago. I created Goodlife Zen and sat back, waiting for people to subscribe. For many months, nothing happened. My messages seemed to disappear into a black hole in cyberspace. Sometimes I was ready to give up. But I continued, stubbornly writing post after post. Patience paid off and now Goodlife Zen is booming.
Looking back, I realize that the lag period was crucial. It taught me that lag is an advantage. Here's why:
- It gives you time to learn new skills.
Every time we start something new, we need a new set of skills. It might not be apparent at first. But as we become familiar with the new direction, we tend to encounter challenges that require new skills. Lag time gives you time to develop a new skill set.
- It allows you to refocus your life.
Every time we start something new, we need to incorporate it into our lives. Maybe something else that used to take center stage needs to move into the background. Lag time allows you to make thoughtful decisions about how to rearrange our lives.
- It gives you time to practice.
There is no instant mastery. When we develop a new skill, we need to practice it in order to gain more experience. Lag time means you can get the fluency you need – before it really matters.
- It gives you time to assimilate a new subculture.
Every new business leads us into a new subculture. It is important to know it and adapt your style to it.
- It allows you to make personal connections.
In order to thrive in our new business, we need to build good relationships with others in the field. Whether it's a new hobby you take up or a new business venture, good relationships are often the difference between success and failure.
- It gives you time to become a leader.
For every new business, we need a good dose of leadership. It takes time to become a leader. Lag allows you to slowly develop the leadership skills you need.
- It teaches you to be patient.
Patience is a great strength of character. It is something that we must practice. Lag forces you to learn to be patient.
- It eliminates the determined from the enthusiastic.
Everyone is enthusiastic when they start something new. But if it's an uphill battle with no instant results, most people give up. Latency eliminates all but those who are determined to succeed.
- It allows you to fail and recover.
Everyone makes mistakes, especially in a new environment. The great benefit of lag time is that it gives you the opportunity to make mistakes, then learn from your mistakes and recover.
- It creates organic growth.
If you think about nature, there is no instant growth. You may be able to speed up growth by using artificial means, such as a greenhouse, but plants that have been forced to grow quickly will be much more delicate than those that have grown at their own biological pace. It's the same with any business:organic growth leads to better long-term results.
You can see from these ten points how important the shift principle is. If we accept the delay as something positive, we can use the time to lay a good foundation for future growth. However, if we struggle with delay and try to accelerate change, we may feel frustrated and miss important milestones in our organic development.
The next time you want change to happen faster in your life, check out the points above. They will remind you to be grateful and allow you to use the shift principle to your advantage.
