The Path can be more important than Speed

Everything moves fast in the world of today, or at least most things tend to do so. Be it your internet, your bank transfers, or the movie you might be streaming online. Gone are the days when one could survive on a 10 megabyte subscription and not worry about it being exhausted. I remember that with a recharge of N100 airtime, I would get free 10mb. Now that is not the case, I jump from network to network, looking for the best subscription models to last me for a long time, and yet it does not guarantee that it will always be fast. There are times when it is not at its best. Well, it is not about calling out the network providers on my end, but it is about the understanding that things are no longer like they used to be in the past. Now things are faster, which means that it will cost more, and I am certain others can relate to it easily in terms of data. It feels like a pandemic of it finishing too fast.

This concept of things moving fast has created the notion that speed is what it takes and what is needed. If you want to do something, think of how fast you can scale. Think of how you can reach more people and not just that, but quickly. So it is speed, speed, and speed. If you are fast enough, you get a reward for that, and if you are there before others, you reap more of the benefits. But for me, here is the thing. It is not about speed, but what direction? If we are moving fast, fast in what direction? This is why I think the path is more important. You have to know where you are going before you pick up the full speed. For the Nigerians who can relate, have you ever wondered why you might be more comfortable with a danfo driver with a cracked voice to get you there in time? It is because he has mastered the path through several passes through that point. So when he hits that gear, you can rest assured you will get there in time, no worries. The same thing applies in chess. It is not just about the speed, but do you know what is going on the chessboard? You could be playing fast rubbish and get checkmated by a slow player. As my friend would say, speed thrills, but it kills.

Also, a technical example that can be seen in the field of trading, speed is important, but when you do not know the path to trade, how do you know the direction to take? What to trade or when to trade it? Do I buy or do I sell? A trader who moves faster from one point to another without specific guidance is bound to lose more than he has. So it is not just about the speed, but it is about the path one chooses to take. The circumstances can change a person in the sense of what they want and the effort they put into it, but the path is more often than not the same. It only takes time, but once the path is set, trust me when I say the speed will come in with full force.

_{I am @samostically, a chess player and writer. I love to share the experience I have gained from different battles over the 64 squares and the knowledgeable insights from books I have read. But most importantly, I am a Midnight Owl and I founded the community Midnight Letters.}

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