Let’s say you’ve created something new – a blog, for example.
You’re all fired up – and you want instant results. But it’s as if your effort has fallen into a dark well – there seems to be no result. That can be very frustrating.
Because humans want instant results.
Imagine that you’re driving a car and want to make a right-hand turn. You crank the steering wheel – but nothing happens.The car keeps on traveling straight ahead for another 100 yards or so before the it slowly begins to veer to the right.
That doesn’t sound like a safe car, does it? And it would be a stressful experience, because we are used to getting an instant response to a change of direction when we’re steering a car.
It’s the same whenever we start something new.
We want to see immediate results.
But life isn’t like that.
Starting a new project is quite different from driving a car.
When we start something new, we bump up against the principle of lag. This means that there is a period of time between taking action and getting results.
Lag-time can be so frustrating! Because you began your project with a vision of success. And lag means that you may not see that success for a long time.
My worst experience of time-lag was when I started out as a blogger. I created Goodlife Zen and sat back, waiting for people to subscribe. For many months nothing happened. My posts seemed to disappear into a black hole in cyberspace.
At times I was ready to give up. But I kept going, doggedly writing post after post. My patience paid off and now Goodlife Zen is thriving.
Looking back, I realize that the period of lag was crucial. It taught me that time-lag is an advantage.
Whenever we start something new, we need a new set of skills. That might not be apparent first off. But as we become more familiar with the new direction, we tend to encounter challenges that need new skills. The ‘lag’ gives you time you need to build a new set of skills.
Whenever we start something new, we need to build it into our life. Maybe something else that previously took center stage has got to move into the background. Lag time allows you to make considered decisions about how to re-organize your life.
There is no instant mastery. When we want to develop a new skill, we need to practice it in order to get more experience. Lag time means that you can acquire the mastery you need – before it really matters.
Every new venture leads us into a new subculture. It’s important to get to know it, and to adapt your style to it. For example, the blogosphere is a world of its own. New bloggers need to learn how to write blog posts, how to respond to comments, what kind of images work, and so on.
In order to thrive in our new venture, we need to make good connections with others in the field. Whether it’s a new hobby you’re taking up, or whether it’s a new business venture – good personal connections are often the difference between success and failure. And it takes time to build these connections. Time gifted to you by the lag.
For every new venture, we need a fair amount of leadership. It takes time to step up to leadership. Lag allows you to slowly develop the leadership skills you need.
Patience is a great character strength. It’s something that we need to practice so we can get better at it. Lag forces you to learn how to be patient.
Everyone is enthusiastic when they start something new. But if it’s an uphill battle without instant results, most people give up. Lag time weeds out all but those determined to succeed.
Everyone makes mistakes, especially in a new environment. The great thing about lag time is that it gives you the chance to get things wrong – and then to learn from your mistakes and recover.
If you think of nature, there is no instant growth. You may be able to accelerate growth through using artificial means, such as a hothouse, but the plants that have been forced to grow fast will be a lot more delicate than the ones that have grown at their own organic pace. It’s the same for any venture: organic growth leads to better long-term results.
You can see from these ten points how important the principle of lag is. If you accept time-lag as something positive, you can use the time to lay good foundations for future growth. However, if you struggle against lag and try to accelerate change – you’ll feel frustrated, and miss out on important steps of your organic development.
Please keep this ‘lag time’ rule in mind as you progress through the material in theses modules, remembering that there is great value in slow, organic growth.
Author: Mary Jaksch