Sometimes you have to stop paddling...

I had one of my zen moments last week while camping on the Peshtigo River in northeast Wisconsin.  While kayaking up the river one afternoon, decompressing after a long stretch of high stress, I realized that sometimes we are so busy paddling against the current, that we are missing things that can be just below the surface.  Yes, while doing all this paddling, sometimes we are obscuring the view.  This was a real-life lesson, as I decided to just stop for a moment.  When the ripples subsided, I could see all the way to the bottom of the river.  I saw beautiful Bluegill fish, river oysters, minnows, crawdads, and various underwater plants.

The lesson for me is that I need to be still and quiet sometimes...look and listen at what might be just below the surface of all the commotion.  There is a time to paddle and make tracks, and there is a time to slow down and pay attention at a deeper level.  One of the phrases in the Lean world is "sometimes you have to slow down to go fast."  By taking my time and being more purposeful, I will be able to paddle stronger when the time is right, reaching the goal faster...and probably be a saner and more supportive teammate during the journey.