Many years ago I was fascinated to see a small boat that could be propelled by one or two occupants pushing pedals, much like a bicycle.
The Pedal Boat Paradox: Effort vs. Efficiency
The pedals rotated paddles that dipped into the water and pushed the boat along, much like the old river steamboats were pushed along by paddles.
My friend and I began to move our boat around on the water, and—as is inevitable with boys—we began to compete with another boat for greater speed.
To my surprise, I discovered that pedaling faster than a certain degree produced no additional forward velocity of the boat.
It was as though the boat had a maximum speed, and neither boat could beat the other boat by the occupants trying harder. (We’ll ignore the physics of why that is.)
Emotional Growth & Development: The Journey, Not the Destination
In more recent years I have seen a similar phenomenon in emotional growth.
“Trying harder” often produces no better results than simply being more conscious and deliberately taking the next reasonable steps, one at a time, in no particular hurry.
We’re not in a race. We’re here to be happy, and we can accomplish that all along the way.
