GM. This is Harry.

Today I wanna to talk about two words. These words might be the first ever tattoo I get, because they really mean a lot to me.

Festina Lente

Meaning; make haste, sloooooowly

I’ve heard them come up every now and then in books. I’ve heard this mentioned by executives I’ve worked with, but most recently - these words have struck a new chord. So let me explain.

And I’m going to explain them in a backwards way - you’ll see why soon.

When you sit in your car ready to drive somewhere - you usually know where that ‘somewhere’ is. Or you’ll use google maps or something. Unless you have an incredibly fun car, there aren’t many people I know who jump in the driver’s seat and set off in any direction they feel like.

No. You already know what your destination is going to be.

You have a goal in mind BEFORE you start.

Then, there are turns you need to make to get where you wanna go. Whether it’s to get a frozen coke on a hot day, buy some groceries so you can stop ordering Uber Eats, or maybe you have friends to see (in real life).

My point being - you’ve got a REASON to get somewhere, and then you have a STRATEGY for how to make it.

The reason is the goal. The WHY.

The route is strategy. The HOW.

Maybe you know a shortcut. Maybe you know where the traffic’s gonna be backed-up so you speed down a side-street.

Maybe you know you’re not going to get fined for accelerating fast from the lights, so you slam the throttle with your right foot while simultaneously taking your left foot off the break (or maybe that’s just me?)

Either way - MOST of us would prefer to get to our destination faster. We’re not out for a joy ride, we’re important people who want to be somewhere and do something, right?

But counterintuitively, the mistake we make is we take off immediately. We set our map or use the internal compass in our mind and take action. And sometimes, we take a LOT of action.

This story played out in an Uber I got recently.

Generally, when I get an Uber, because of my background, the drivers usually call me ‘brother’. And the same conversation starts every time:

“Where are you from, brother?” the driver usually asks.

“New Zealand” I usually reply, just to surprise them (but it is the truth). 

“No, I mean before that” the driver usually says to me. 

“Ugh, I’m from India.” I concede. You win bro. You win.

But last time, the conversation got a little more interesting. The guy wanted to know what I did for a job, so I told him. I asked him what he did too, and he said he worked in an entry-level job at a hospital. No medical training.

And of course, he drove an Uber 3-4 hours a day.

He was struggling to make money. And it wasn’t because of a lack of effort.

He was putting in 12-hour days. He was just going in the wrong direction.

So I turned on my ‘mentoring voice’ and said to him: find an industry that’s growing more than 10% per year. Use Chat-GPT to research different industries, and find a job in that industry. Get ANY job and you’ll have a much better chance of progressing as that industry grows.

I even game him some ideas on the industries I thought were growing.

- Renewables

- E-commerce

- Property development

- Healthcare Tech

- Electric Vehicles (maybe)

He didn’t really respond sadly.

Oh well. I tried.

A lot of us just find the first job we can get and go hard. Sometimes, that takes us somewhere. Sometimes, it doesn’t.

And I understand, for migrants especially, there isn’t a lot of time to really think about it. Money is necessary.

But many of us have the opportunity to think about this.

You might get lucky. But you might get unlucky too. So let me slow you down a little so you minimising the chance of your effort going to waste.

Apply Festina Lente 🤌🏻

Feel free to say it in your mind with an italian accent, similar to how you’d say ‘It’s a Luigi’. You’ll remember it better.  

Hard work WILL work. But it’s much nicer if you don’t have to rely on it all the time.

How to do the thinking

As a bonus, here’s what you can combine this understanding with, to apply the right thinking.

The 80/20 Principle.

Question 1: What top 20% of effort will yield 80% of results?

Think think think.

Go for a walk without your phone.

Take a nap.

Ponder the mysteries of life looking at the sunset on the beach.

Think some more.

Got it?

Next question: Do you have the strength and resources to double OR TRIPLE that 20%?

Think about your strengths, your experiences and problems you’ve solved in the past that are unique.

This process might take you minutes, days, weeks, or months.

But it’ll be worth it.

Evidence 

For me, it’s worked. I made a conscious decision to jump into the industry I’m in now, and I thought about it for a long time before taking this job.

The result? 85% growth in 13 months. And it’s not that I have tons of skill.

Before that? 300% growth in 18 months (back in banking).

And if you’ve completed a degree you feel compelled to use, or you’re knee deep in a project that isn’t delivering the results you expected…

And it’s not too late to change course.

Instead of sprinting on a treadmill, go run outside.

Just take your time to THINK first.

Maybe consult a trusted mentor, too.

Execute, but slowly.

Now, before you go, I have a few things to share

Here are a few things I’ve been reading, listening and watching. Maybe you’ll like them too:

- STRATEGY - How to do great work - Paul Graham (founder of Y Combinator)

- STRATEGY - Strategy by Richard Koch (a guide to business strategy creation)

- MINDSET - Re-reading “As A Man Thinketh” by James Allen

- POLITICS - Watched the HILARIOUS and true video talking about how regulation in the US is stifling tech growth:

- TECH, AI AND OPEN SOURCE - Listened to the 4-hour podcast between Matt Mullenweg (founder of Wordpress) and Tim Ferris.

Make the most of this week.

Harry

P.S. If this was valuable, feel free to share it. It takes like, 18 seconds.