I Have to Last and Not Just be Fast, I Have to Be Fast and
Not Just Last
Whenever a person does an activity like writing a book, it
is done in the context of time. There is
a first edition and there is a last edition.
From one to the other, improvements can be made, but the first edition remains
the first except under one condition. That
condition is that a significant part of the fast first edition will last until
the last edition. Was the book written
well enough to avoid a full restart at its core? Will I need to retract what I said in any
major way?
I wrote the first edition of my book, Mental Health for
Everyone, to get out my ideas fast and to make them last. I felt the need to try to break the cycle of
mental illness fast, especially for the sake of the suicidal; but also to make
corrections to my work as it progressed to make sure its effect will last. The finishing part is never completely done
for a writer. For example, I can always
continue improving the book. The only
question is whether the start requires a full restart. I don’t believe my book will require a
re-start – that I was too jumpy and was guilty of a false start. I waited for the gun and I am off and running
already with no plans to finish until the race is over!
I don’t need to restart what I did, but that doesn’t mean I
can’t add to what it says to explain aspects of the book in a still better
way. My principle in the area of schooling
and relationship of “fast and variable” will last. I will not retract that piece, but I can
still further amplify what I mean. I’m a
track athlete and track coach so my analogy from track is routine to me. Even the complex parts are relatively simple
to me. The first edition of has to balance amplify with simplify, but only in
the future it can be good to still further amplify it as well.
Let’s amplify what I say in my book. So what do I mean when I suggest that the key
to schooling is being fast? Doesn’t that
fly into the face of common sense which according to Aesop’s Fable says that “Slow
and steady wins the race”. Also doesn’t
that disagree with psychology’s insights about manic-depression or
hyper-activity? I can clearly answer for
myself that it does not fly in the face of common sense or the basic insight of
psychology on manic-depression. Let me
assure you though what I mean by adding to what I have said before.
In my book, Mental Health for Everyone, I emphasize four
principles for guiding mental health in the areas of education, schooling,
coaching, and teaching. They are:
1) Biggest
2) Fastest
3) Strongest
4) Smartest
1) Biggest
2) Fastest
3) Strongest
4) Smartest
It is not just the biggest that wins, it is not just the
fastest that wins, it is not just the strongest that wins, and not just the
smartest that wins. It requires all four
in some winning combination. All of this
may sound a bit controversial. I can’t
amplify on that here in this short space or amplify on every principle individually here, but let me assure you that I am aware
of the movement from big (small) to biggest, fast to fastest, strong to
strongest, and smart to smartest.
I am not a proponent of the too big to fail, etc.
thinking. I am a proponent of a healthy
movement from all of the least starting points to all of the greatest ending points. For example, biggest is a virtue, and it is not
a harm in the proper understanding. In
the size of this blog entry, I am going to only amplify more what I have said
before on fast to fastest, but I can make it even bigger elsewhere or when I am
given more time than the average blog reader will give me.
There are five themes I want to emphasize. To each I will devote one paragraph. They are:
1) Fast to Last
2) Fast to Fastest
3) Variable before steady
4) Unhealthy states
5) Healthy states
First, let’s discuss fast to last. Here is a key thing. The carpenter’s rule says, “Measure twice,
cut once”. Why don’t they say measure
once? Isn’t that faster? Doesn’t twice mean we waste time? Doesn’t that mean there is no end to
double-checking, triple-checking, etc.? You get the point. I believe the first measure is to get the job
done fast. The second measure to make
sure the first measure can last. If it
doesn’t and only if it doesn’t, then you measure again to make sure it will
last. You keep re-measuring until you
get a match, then the measure with high probability will last and now you can
move fast to cut the board once. It is a
lot better than starting over again, because you were going too fast. In the long haul, a house built by measure twice until two agreed is
built fast and to last.
Next, notice that I say it starts from fast and moves to
fastest. I don’t believe that in life we
begin from slow. Even babies are
commended for being fast, when they are.
They learn that fast trying to keep up with adults. We recognize when they are getting fast. We say, “Look at him (or her) go!” Today, we
have the signal speed of electricity moving at trillions of kilometers per hour
to power the internet and our cell phones.
The baby’s physical movements are no match for the signal speed of the
human brain or the internet, but eventually that baby may become the physically
fastest man (or woman) on earth!
Next, I say variable comes before steady for a very obvious
reason. When I first was a competitive runner
in grade school no one said anything about steady. They didn’t have too. I never ran far enough for that advice to
really apply. Even when I ran somewhere
around 550 meters, I just ran as fast as I could to stay with the leader. Later in Junior High, I set a record (that didn't last!) in the
200 meters. It
was not until high school, when I went up to the 400 meters, that I realized
first that I had to vary my speed from the 200 meter race. Then I also learned to vary my pace (very
slightly) for the 4 parts of 400 meters.
Finally, when I move to the mile, then I learned the lesson of
steady. But steady doesn’t win a single
race, if you are slow. Aesop is wrong. Someday, I am going to write not
a fable called, “The Tortoise and the Hare”, but the true story called, “The
Wolf, the Tortoise, and the Hare. Well, it will be a fable that is in one sense true. You
can imagine who wins!
Next, I want to applaud psychology. The other day, I applauded psychology and a
sincere Christian, who met me for the first time, wanted to introduce me to
Jesus. He didn’t know I could applaud
both. Let me applaud psychology for
recognizing one unhealthy state – manic depression. Most of society still doesn’t know what it
is, because the diagrams for it are rarely introduced with the theory. Psychology gets it right that
manic-depression is unhealthy. It shows that
too fast is harmful outside the healthy lines. Please pause for the applause. Now, there is still one problem. That is
not the only unhealthy state. It is
though the only unhealthy state that colors outside the healthy lines. So that unhealthy state is fairly obvious. There is another state that is equally
unhealthy. I call it the too slow
version of unhealthy – procrastination regret.
On the upper cycle it lives in the euphoria of its procrastination and
in the lower cycle it lives in the despair of regret. This too is unhealthy! This set of unhealthy states can happen
between the lines as can also too fast unhealthy states within the lines. Psychology needs to finish the job!
Finally, the major problem for psychology in the US at least
is, as Japanese leaders in the business world have commented, that they are
too negative. They start with a name that
essentially names what is unhealthy, but does not start with what is healthy. They don’t talk about the four speeds we have
in track that are healthy: rest, sprint, run, and walk. What is the name for all the healthy states
together? In track, we call one combination Fartlek
running with unappealing connotations.
So do we call the healthy states fast variable instead? That is my first guess. It may not be my very last, but I am sticking to
as a start for discussing what is healthy and not just what is unhealthy. My track coach made me a healthy runner. He didn’t just teach when I was an unhealthy runner. I pray that we can all learn to be healthy
minders and not just healthy runners, etc.
Everyone needs to last to a reasonable level and not just be
fast. We also have to be fast to a
reasonable level and not just last. Have
a great day running your mind to health and not to stealth – a hidden objective
of health. I have revealed to you some part of what is healthy here. It is a start. I will add one last
thing. Smart athletes know that the
first step to running fast is recharging your batteries with rest when
needed. That especially applies to your
mind. Take care. May you now have greater peace of mind.
Be Healthy Everyone,
Jon
