Jane entered the room and rushed towards the podium.  She called out a cheerful “hello all” to no one in particular.  John looked at her, smiled and waved. Without even acknowledging him, as she tossed her bag in the front row and smacked her binder on the podium.  This was the first time she was in charge.  The fun and flow of laughter and learning, which she enjoyed so much, were now her responsibility.  She had never realized how much went into making it look easy, and now, the general joy of the meeting had become a complex collection of details.

Jane had just enough time for a quick review of her list of duties.

Begin and end the meeting on time.

Create smooth transitions between speakers.

These topped the list with the rest a collection of typed up and scratch out notes which barely resembled the printed agenda.  Oh the agenda!  She rushed over to her bag, yanked out a pack of papers, and began dealing them out to chairs and people.  John took one and extended his hand for more to distribute, but in her haste to get the job done, Jane quipped “You already got one.”  John lowered his hand, shaking his head.

About a third of the way through, she ran out of agendas.  How could this be? Then she remembered that she had made a last minute correction as she was printing them out and stopped printing, to then rush out with the wrong agenda’s which were now scattered over 2/3 of the room.

She had only a few minutes before the meeting began. Now what do I do?  John walked over and cleared his throat.  Jane gave him a panicky glance.

Looking at the agenda, he said “I don’t think Jack is going to be here.”

“I know. I know.” Jane said in a curt whisper.  Didn’t he know this was my first time and it wasn’t helpful to point out my mistakes before the meeting had even started?

The tension in Jane’s tone could be heard through her few nervous laughs throughout the meeting. It was unmistakable when she commanded each speaker off and on the stage.   The meeting ended a few minutes early and Jane began rushing around to pick up the agendas.   When she got to where John was sitting, she smiled and asked “Well, how did I do for my first time?”

“You succeeded in starting and ending on time; however, you were a bit nervous, weren’t you?   That’s to be expected, in fact, it is necessary.  The trick is to learn how to focus this energy on what’s important, not just what is urgent.  People don’t enjoy when papers and procedures seem more important than they are.”

“Ouch. If that is what it felt like with me in charge, I am sorry. I just felt I had to rush to get everything done.”

“Perhaps John Wooden said it best ‘Be quick, but don’t hurry.”  John continued “I have found that when we act in haste, we often waste the time we seek to save. Life is just moments; a lot can happen in a moment especially when you are present for what’s important.