Stanley F. Bronstein – Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

I went for a 4 1/2 hour walk today.  A few things happen when you walk for that long of a period of time.  Among them are:

• Your head clears;
• You watch people;
• You notice things others do not notice.

One thing I observed several times today (and have been noticing for the past few weeks) is that way too many people seem to be in a hurry.

I’ve seen people do the following, on many occasions:

• Roll through stop lights instead of actually stopping at them;
• Speeding (excessively – not just a few miles over the speed limit);
• People cutting people off in traffic; and
• People driving through the front sections of parking lots at grocery stores at 25 to 30 miles per hour (while talking on their cell phones).

In fact, I observed someone today driving through a grocery store parking lot so fast, I waved my arms at him and told him to slow down.  He looked at me like I was nuts, but the 4 or 5 seniors who were around me at the time all looked at me and said, thank you . . .

As a result of the busy holiday season, I have no doubt in my mind that similar scenarios are being played out all over America and the world, as I write this.  In fact, I’d be willing to bet that if just 1000 people drive like this person did in the parking lot, that at least one of those people will wind up hitting somebody’s car as their backing out, and even worse, they might strike a pedestrian, injuring or killing them.

All because we’re in such a damn hurry.

I’m reminded of a lesson I learned approximately 34 years ago at the age of 16.  I was driving on the freeway in Houston, Texas.  It was the week before Christmas.  I was zigging and zagging back and forth in traffic, driving approximately 95 miles per hour.  Basically, I was being a foolish, reckless kid who was in a big hurry.

All of a sudden, this unmarked car came up behind me, flashing their lights and the driver held up his badge and motioned for me to pull off the road.  It was an off-duty policeman who was going to teach me a lesson.

What did he do?  He did NOT write me a ticket, as he was off-duty.  He did NOT make me sit there and wait while he called an on-duty policeman to write me a ticket.  He did NOT take me into jail.  He did none of those things.

Instead, he took me aside and told me:  “Son, this is the week before Christmas.  Don’t kill anybody.  Stop driving like that.”

Basically, he scared me like I’d never been scared before.

Then he let me get back in my car and continue on to my destination.  That’s all he did.

He did NOT punish me.  Instead, he taught me a lesson, BEFORE it’s too late.

It’s a lesson that I still remember to this day.  Since that time, I have never once driven like I was doing on that day when he pulled me over.

His message was clear and I got it.  Slow down.  Relax.  Don’t be in such a hurry.  Don’t kill anybody.

That’s a lesson we all should learn.  Not only will slowing down reduce the chances of you killing somebody, it will probably reduce the chances of you killing yourself.  It will reduce the stress in your life and you will feel much better as a result.

So, in the midst of this holiday season, please slow down!

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