We want everything to be fast.
Same-day delivery. Instant pain relief. Three-minute workouts. Fast food, quick solutions, immediate gratification.
The problem with fast, however, is that it can make things worse.
The three-minute workout gives you license to eat the fast food. The same-day delivery encourages you to one-click shop. The shopping drives up your credit card bill, so you spend more time at your desk and need instant pain relief for your sore neck or back.
It’s what I call “bad fast”—things that take little effort, and may seem harmless, but are destructive in the long run.
Some fast things, however, are “good fast.” They also happen quickly, but they’re great for your health and happiness in the long run. Things like:
- The immediate satisfaction that washes over you when you finish moving your body
- The delicious taste of the first bite of a meal prepared with your family
- The chemical boost of sharing a belly laugh with friends
Here’s the secret: most “good fast” things come from something slow. The long walk outside. The meal you took the time to cook from scratch. An evening spent connecting with friends. Slow has a way of leading us to something good.
I know you’re busy. I know it’s hard to make time for things that matter, and, more than anything, it can be hard to go slow.
But slow is what gets you the good. And over time, it helps reduce your need for the bad.
- Losing weight and keeping it off takes sustained habit change over time. It’s slow. But eventually, you realize you don’t want the bad food as much as you used to.
- Eliminating your back pain takes consistent, slow effort to rebuild your strength and flexibility, and change your work habits. But it takes away the need for pain relief.
- Creating great relationships takes time—daily investments like family dinners, no-screen meals, and social events. But the connection reduces your need for retail therapy.
The valuable stuff takes time. It takes patience and commitment. The good kind of fast comes slow. Don’t let the marketers convince you otherwise.