[Speech] Slow Down, Make Less Mistake
Have you ever felt like life is a race that you can never win? We live in a fast-paced world where everything is expected to happen QUICKLY and EFFICIENTLY. We rush from one task to another, often not taking the time to properly assess the situation or think through our decisions. However, as we have all experienced at some point in our lives, this rush can often lead to careless mistakes.
Fellow Toastmasters and guests,
Today, I want to share with you a personal experience that made me realise the value of taking our time. Early this year, I made the decision to renovate my kitchen and began my search for a kitchen designer. After browsing through some designer’s Instagram feeds, I eventually settled on one and reached out to them to gather more information.
They sent a representative to talk to me, and her name is Suki. I find Suki to be a motivated, driven, and quite funny. The first time we talked, I right away asked for a few samples of kitchen design. She replied within 5 minutes, and sent me pictures of different kitchens as requested. And then, just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, she hit me with some serious cabinet knowledge. I didn’t even know there were so many different materials to choose from! Plywood, melamine, aluminum… it was like a whole new world had opened up to me. And if that wasn’t enough, she also gave me the list on countertop materials! Who knew there were so many options?
Well, as someone who has the desire to do well at work, my first impression on Suki led me to realize that Suki and I have something in common, and that is our work ethic. That’s part of the reason I decided to have her as my kitchen designer.
A few days past by, Suki never lets me down. Soon enough, the time comes for the first site visit when Suki and her team mate have to come and measure my house. On a sunny Tuesday, we were set to meet at 3pm. I told her to Whatsapp me once she has arrived. Due to the security measures at the condo that I lived in, I needed to come down to escort her upstairs. At 2:59PM, Suki Whatsapped me, telling me that she has arrived. I replied,
Insyi : “Okay, I am at the lobby, where are you? Are you at the guard house?”
Suki : “I’m in front of your house door.”
Insyi : “Really? How did you manage to go up?”
Suki : “The people here helped us to access.”
She sent me this picture of a house door, and I immediately told her that that’s not my house door.
Insyi : “Suki, you’re at a wrong place.”
She admitted, she googled the wrong place.
Despite the delay, the meeting went well. Within 3 days, Suki gotten back to me with a proposal and quotation. However, there were a few times when she missed out or miscalculated something that lead to rework. After all that happened, I must confess, Suki and I share not just one, but two things in common — Firstly, our work ethic and secondly, our tendency to make careless mistakes. Our desire to complete tasks QUICKLY and EFFICIENTLY caused us to neglect QUALITY and ACCURACY.
Fellow Toastmasters and guests,
As I reflect on this experience, I realise that the solution to our tendency to rush and make mistakes is simple. It is SLOWING DOWN. I am the type of person who think that I can bake cookies faster by cranking up the oven temperature. — Perhaps it’s not just me here that approach life this way.
It may seem counterintuitive to take things slow in a fast-paced work environment, but taking a few extra moments to double-check our work and ensure that we are doing things right the first time can actually save time in the long run. With this mindset, I have no doubt that we will achieve great success and happiness in all aspects of our life. Thank you for listening, and may you always remember to slow down and make less mistake.
