“I’m already done with that. Have you started?”
These are the words that make a person’s heart drop. To the slow burner, these words are the pins that burst bubbles. It has been repeated time and time again that everyone goes at their own pace, but it almost always seems like only one pace is truly acceptable: fast.
I remember reading an article in AP English Language and Composition my junior year. The article was published by The Atlantic and was titled “You Might Be a Late Bloomer” by David Brooks. I don’t remember the specifics of the discussion my peers were having in class, but I do know that the phrases “intrinsic motivation” and “extrinsic motivation” were being thrown around quite a bit.
I remember thinking about the article for quite a while, at least, a lot longer than I’d like to admit, and I decided that I felt more aligned with the “late bloomer” being described in the passage.
Again, I don’t recall the specifics of the discussion we had, but I remember feeling like late bloomers were unfavorable by the end of the class discussion.
The slow burner is a person who is motivated by the small flame burning inside of them. The more that they take control of what lights that fire, the more that flame grows. Fast burners, on the contrary, have a raging fire surrounding them. Fast burners appear to be trying to outrun the fire around them.
More often than not, we are told that whether you are a fast burner or a slow burner, there is not that big of a difference, but is there? As a slow burner, it can sometimes feel like there is an enormous difference between the two. It can feel like the world prefers the fast burner who appears to constantly be moving, getting things done and solving problems. Compared to the slow burner, fast burners appear to be more proactive while slow burners make slower steps and smaller moves toward a goal. Fast burners seem to be going a mile a minute with everything they do while slow burners take a little more time for everything. In a world that’s constantly moving, it can be hard to chase moving targets if you are not naturally a sprinter who is used to the chase.
Take a look at Aaron Burr from Hamilton. His song “Wait for It” has some lyrics that stand out to me: “I’m not falling behind or running late. I’m not standing still, I am lying in wait.” After hearing this song, I thought about it: Was Burr a slow burner? And if Burr is a slow burner, then, is Burr–who was the villain in Hamilton’s story–representative of a large majority of slow burners?
I think not. The difference between Burr and a large majority of those who resonate with being a slow burner is the fact that Burr was, in a lot of ways, passive. The conflict in Hamilton wasn’t all about the “slow” pace versus the “fast” one; it was a battle between a passion and a reservation. Hamilton kept asking Burr, “If you stand for nothing, Burr, what’ll you fall for?” And this is what separates Burr from other “slow burners” because other slow burners have a reason to burn. Slow burners have reasons that they are simmering for, but Burr was only chasing recognition. Burr wasn’t fighting for anything specific because he just wanted to win and “to be in the room where it happened.”
Hamilton analyses aside, the slow burner is passionate, just as passionate as their faster counterparts, but it can be hard for slow burners to feel like their passion could ever appear to measure up to that of a fast burner. It can be hard to feel like the effort of a slow burner is as impactful as the effort of a fast burner because progression is not linear and it is not always visible.
Burr may have been a villainized slow burner in Hamilton, but most of us slow burners have strong passions that we burn for. Most of us slow burners are making real, steady progress that just takes more time to see, and that’s okay. One thing that may help, my fellow slow burners, is to do some progress tracking. This can be as simple as writing down a few things that were accomplished recently, and they can be small.
So, the final verdict? Is it bad to be a slow burner?
It’s not bad to be a slow burner. There truly is a place for both fast and slow burners. The world needs both. Being fast or slow does not mean you can’t learn how to pick up the pace or slow down when needed. So breathe and take a step back. When someone tells you that they’ve already completed an item on your list that you haven’t even started, remember that you are right where you need to be as long as you are making some progress and are working toward the vision that keeps your inner flame burning.
