While browsing a Financial Newspaper today, I read an interview with a former lawyer and member of supervisory boards. Being 68 years old, he mentioned that in his early days, the work of a lawyer dealt a lot with reflection. Lawyers were expected to make careful and articulate decisions. Nowadays many decisions by lawyers are made in fast paced and high pressured environments. He felt this is a psychological threat and advocated between the lines more reflection.
I personally feel that the faster the world turns with increasing connections, technology and networks, the more one is able to reflect and take distance, the more competitive one will be. Why? In a world that increasingly speeds up, those who run the pace are not outstanding, they are the standard. You are either up to date or out of date. But to be upfront, you need to be able to overlook and see opportunities. At college, I was taught to put a freshly written paper on a shelve and edit it a week later, so its line of thought could be reviewed and deepened. Why do we forget about this when we run into the business world?
I spent 5 months in a monastery this year. Some people asked me why I put my career on hold. My answer to them would be I didn’t put in on hold, I put it on fast track. Monastic life was, thus, not only a personally enriching experience, it is competitive advantage as well.

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