Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast
Today there is little patience to wait for things. We have on-demand entertainment, two-day (or quicker) delivery by Amazon, and we can talk or video chat with someone instantly almost anywhere on the planet.
This is a great for consuming things. But it can set up a fasle expectation for learning skills necessary to achieve goals.
People rarely master skills on their first try, whether they which require physical action or that of the mind. Mastering a skill takes patience. And practice.
When I first drove a standard transmission car in driver’s ed, the little car looked more like a jack rabbit than a Ford Escort. I was sweating bullets, over-analyzing the process, and desparately trying to shove the gear stick into where the little diagram said it was supposed to go.
Then instructor broke it down into several steps. Done in a deliberate and slow order.
- Depress clutch
- Slide gear lever to new gear position
- Apply gas and release clutch
- Does this while not stalling the car or hitting something/someone
This is best done in a large, empty parking lot.
It’s was hard for me not to look at how I was moving the gear stick at first. But as I gained more confidence and experience, that gear stick went from getting stuck and grinding the gears to flying into position. Eventually I was not even looking down when shifting gears. It all happened by sound, touch, and memorization.
First slow. Then slow and smooth. Then smooth and fast.
I mastered the manual transmission. Driving with this transmission became fun because I had mastered it.
