Endurance, writes Professor Sir Mason Durie, “is founded on the two dimensions of time and resilience.” (Nga Tai Matatu: Tides of Maori Endurance, Oxford University Press, 2005) Time has a past and a future, but not necessarily a beginning or end point. It is a human construct, a tool designed to bring order and structure to our lives. Time, according to Durie, “can expand to make a single moment seem like an eternity and contract to render a thousand years an immeasurably brief and fleeting episode.”
Time, therefore is what we perceive it to be. Its contribution to success is dependent on how we use and perceive time. If our focus is on the short term then we can easily find ourselves lost in the minutiae. Our focus switches from our goals and aspirations and towards our frustrations and daily battles. The passage of time brings perspective to such frustrations and battles. If our focus is long term then we can see daily events in their true context. A traffic jam on your way home from work may seem frustrating now, but will be meaningless in a weeks time. Ever noticed that when you take the long (or ‘scenic’) route when you are travelling that you relax and enjoy the journey more? In life, taking the long road produces the same result.
If the first dimension of endurance (time) is a tool, the second (resilience) is a state of mind. Durie neatly encapsulates the essence of resilience:
Resilience is an expression of the effort needed to steer a steady course. It recognises both adversity and triumph, and celebrates strength of purpose, determination, and a capacity to survive … Resilience contains an inner force and an element of indefatigability … [it] reflects both a capacity for adaption and a propensity for turning adversity into accomplishment.
In New Zealand the importance of the long term approach is learned early in life. As a small agricultural nation, we grow up understanding the importance of hard work and patience – knowing that, with time, the results will come provided we remain persistent. Crops and livestock require constant attention, and you can fertilise the fields, but grass will still take time to grow. It is persistence that Malcolm Gladwell recognises in Outliers as being one of the critical elements to success. His 10,000 hours theory tells us that success, however, you define it, can only be reached by taking the long road. In other words, there is no such thing as an overnight success.
Success, therefore, is dependent on taking the long road. So-called shortcuts are rarely beneficial – more often then not they only serve to distract you from your goals and aspirations.
My Need for Instant Gratification
After graduating from University I took a job at a law firm renowned for its high-pressure, fast-paced atmosphere. At first I loved every second of it, at one point I remarked to a close friend of mine that I found the lifestyle ‘sexy’. The reality could not have been further from the truth. 14 months, and one hospitalisation, later, I was burnt out and on my way out the door. I quickly came to the realisation that that lifestyle was unhealthy and would only lead me down the path towards emotional distress. My work was not tailored towards any long term goal, but rather focussed almost exclusively on dealing with one short-term problem after the next. I lost focus on my long term aspirations and subsequently my personal and professional development began to stagnate.
Refocussing on the Long Run
A year on and my life could not be any different. I am now working at a firm which allows me to take a more long term approach to my job and my personal development. The short-term problems are gone, to be replaced by a claim scheduled for hearings in mid-2011. The focus of this work is not one of expediency, but rather of ensuring that the best possible outcome is reached. This allows more time to be spent coming to terms with the issues involved in this case and really being able to gain a deep level of understanding of those issues. I am working less hours, but I am more productive. Best of all, taking the long term approach has freed my mind and allowed more time to focus on my health and fitness, my academic goals, and on this project.
A Long-Term Approach
By taking the long term approach, I am more relaxed, healthier, and I am more productive. So how do you go about taking the long road? Below are my three simple tips:
- Plan: Set out the long term personal and professional goals that you are working towards and tailor your work and your day towards those goals;
- Understand: Take the time to understand the problem or the issue before you launch into attempting to solve it. Time spent researching and understanding at the start of a project will save you time later in the process. It will also allow you to focus on the ensuring that the best possible outcome is realised – and not the most expedient;
- Relax: Recognise that the key to long term success is that combination of time and persistence – not either one independent of the other. Most jobs do not require you to work to even more and more impossible deadlines. You are only made to think that as a result of your company’s strive for productivity.
Are you taking a long-term approach to your life?
