Winning at Life with Navy SEAL Tactics: Slow, Smooth, Fast

Today we're discussing a fascinating concept that I learned from a client of mine who is a Navy SEAL. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. At first this didn't really make sense to me. I didn't really understand how slow is fast. Slow can be smooth, smooth can be fast, and how slow can be fast. So let's dive deeper into this concept today. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. This concept is not just for elite soldiers. It's incredibly relevant for us as well as entrepreneurs and parents.

Juggling the Demands of Business and Family. Imagine a Navy SEAL on a mission. There is no room for error, and haste could be costly. This is where slow is smooth, smooth is fast comes in. It means taking deliberate Considered actions to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the mission. And guess what? This applies perfectly to our hectic lives as well. Take a typical Monday. You've got a pile of work tasks, kids need their breakfast, and you need to go drop them off at school.

The day already feels like a race against the clock. Your instinct might be to rush through everything, but let's apply some of this Navy SEAL wisdom. The first half of this, slow is smooth. This is about being methodical. When you're planning your day, slow it down. Take a moment to prioritize your task. What needs to be done? Right now and what can wait. This approach reduces mistakes, meaning less time fixing errors and more time moving forward.

Here's a quick little example and a personal story of mine when I did not follow this advice of slow is smooth. A couple months back there was a big snowfall here where we live in Edmonton in Canada. It was the first snowfall of the year and of course none of the drivers on the road were used to this. The roads were icy, and most of the drivers were driving as if it was still summer, with bare, dry roads This resulted in a lot of chaos on the road.

And as you can imagine This was not fun, and it took twice the amount of time to get the kids to school, and we had to be extremely cautious. Now at this point, I hadn't changed our tires over to our winter tires . And if you're familiar with driving in winter at all, you'll know that all season tires work great in summer, fall, spring, but they don't work really well when the roads are icy and when the temperature drops below zero. This is where winter tires come in.

Now our winter tire Swap out hadn't been scheduled yet, and so I knew that it was going to be at least a few weeks before we put our winter tires on. So I was being extra cautious, driving like the responsible adult in parent I am. But unfortunately, That's where things changed a little bit. I was waiting at a red light and this light happened to be at the bottom of a gently sloped hill.

The person behind me obviously didn't get the memo that it is winter now and the roads are icy and was driving a little bit too fast and smashed right into the back of our SUV. This all would not have happened if I was a little bit more prepared that morning. You see, the reason that I was even back on the road again was Because I had forgotten something and I was driving back home to go get it and this resulted in this little collision that happened. So getting back to slow is smooth.

What can you do to prepare yourself and make sure that you don't forget something at home so that you have to then unnecessarily drive in cold winter roads?

Now let's look at the second half, Smooth is Fast. By being methodical and deliberate, your actions become smoother. You're not rushing, you're not trying to get somewhere in a shorter amount of time when there just isn't that time available. You're not tackling tasks. Instead, you're executing a well thought out plan. This smoothness leads to speed and efficiency. Almost paradoxically. Now I know, some of you are thinking, Amin, I'm not diffusing a bomb here.

I'm just trying to get my kids to eat breakfast, get them to school, and get back to the office or back home. True, but the principles do still apply. For example, a smooth morning routine where things are prepared, where you're ready and you've taken time to get all your items in order, that is going to result in a much faster and hassle free morning.

This also extends to parenting as well. By being present and being focused during family time, even if it's shorter than you'd like, you're creating quality interactions. This leads to strong bonds and a happier family life, which is a win for everyone. So as we navigate through this year with our goals and responsibilities, let's keep the Navy SEAL wisdom in mind. By being slow and smooth in our approach, we can actually move faster towards our objectives, both in business and in family.

Thanks for joining me on today's episode. Stay tuned for our next podcast episode where we'll explore more strategies to help you thrive as an entrepreneur and as a parent. Remember, be slow, be smooth, and you'll be surprisingly fast in conquering your day. Until next time, take care my friends, and we'll talk again soon.