I talk a lot about how to show up as your best self every day.

When I’m living as my best self, I’m more patient and a better listener. I’m more open to new ideas and can find more creative solutions. I have more energy and I’m genuinely present with the people I’m with. This state of being, this presence, comes most easily when I’m well-regulated – when I’ve rested, exercised, eaten well, and connected with people I care about.

But there’s one thing that consistently knocks me off that “best self” rhythm, that pulls me away from that state of regulation: hurry.

The steep price of rushing

When I’m in a hurry, I stop seeing people. Instead, they become obstacles, slowing me down from getting my things done. My creative mind shrinks; I can’t explore different options because I need to make this one work, now. Instead of collaborating with or training my team, I’m just focused on pushing things out the door. I bark orders. I create stress for others.

Sure, I might get the project completed, but I often leave a wake of bad feelings and damaged trust.

The person I become when I hurry isn’t my “best self”—it’s much closer to my “worst self.” I know that when I’m in that frenetic headspace, it feels productive like I’m really getting stuff done (and by one narrow measure, I am). But that perceived productivity comes at a steep cost to my relationships, to our team culture, and ultimately, to the kind of leader I aspire to be.

“All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there.” ~ Charlie Munger

Munger’s wisdom applies here. If hurry turns me into someone I don’t want to be, why would I keep going there?

The only real solution: ruthless elimination

For years, I tried to find a way to be different in those stressful, hurried moments. To somehow stay my “best self” even when the pressure was on. It rarely, if ever, worked! I was trying to fix the symptom, not the cause.

So, what if, instead of trying to manage the unmanageable, I eliminate the problem at its root? As Dallas Willard famously advised, what if I “ruthlessly eliminate hurry from my life?”

Think about that word: ruthlessly. He didn’t say try to eliminate hurry or manage hurry better when it inevitably shows up. He said ruthlessly eliminate it. This isn’t about better communication in a crisis; it’s about preventing the crisis of hurry itself.

This means:

• Instead of playing the last-minute superhero (a role that often creates the hurry in the first place!), I could ask to move the deadline.
• Instead of trying to cram ten pounds of tasks into a five-pound day, I could get more realistic about my capacity and my team’s.
• It means choosing to run my business without the “baggage” of believing that constant urgency equals importance.

This is an act of taking control, of focusing on my internal locus of control rather than being a victim of external pressures.

What about you?

What would you need to change to truly eliminate hurry – not just manage it – from your work and life? How would that shift change you as a leader? What impact would it have on your team’s well-being, creativity, and overall performance?

What’s one small, practical step you can take today towards a less hurried, more “best self” way of operating?