I worried for many years that I was a lazy man. I intensely dislike any hustle and bustle, and I feel terribly anxious whenever I am given deadlines, reminded to get back to work, or begin to think of my day through how "efficient" I have been.
Those few who know me well assure me I am hardly lazy at all. I began to learn that it wasn't labor or effort that bothered me, but rather the way we tend to go about laboring. I started to see that what mattered more wasn't how quickly I did something, but rather how well I did it.
I deeply enjoy an effort or achievement, not because it has made me money, or earned me praise, but because I did the job right.
Quantity is the hallmark of a man driven by profit, while quality is the hallmark of man driven by character. It is the difference between a man rich in money and a man rich in spirit.
I try to worry less about doing something quickly and more about doing it well. I find I end up not only producing something of greater value, but I also end up finding that tranquility of heart and mind that is at the core of Stoicism. Rushed work is sloppy work, and it is miserable work.
Far more can be done, in all walks of life, by pacing ourselves than by all the rushing and running about so common in our world. That way lies true joy and pride in any sort of work, from building s widget to building virtue.
Written in 7/1995
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