Quick. Quick. S L O W.
Life is moving faster than ever, where expediency is not only constantly rewarded, but expected. With every e-mail or text, you promptly fall slave to the vibration or chirp notification, and furiously type your response, sometimes before even processing the thought. Do you ever question why everything has to be so rushed? I mean, everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, right?
I was laying on my yoga mat, doing the bicycle ab exercise, (opposite knee to opposite elbow), moving to the rhythm of the music. Midway through, my teacher, Jennifer, tells us to change our pace for the remaining 30 seconds. At that instruction, 95% of the class speeds up their pace. She didn’t say to pick up the pace or speed up, she simply said to change it. Why is it that most people’s first instinct is to rush and speed up? Faster isn’t always better, or necessarily even a quicker way to get to results.
How many times have you hurriedly tried to unlock the door, or maniacally rummaged through the bottom of your bag searching for your keys, or been on the verge of losing your mind trying to wrangle the kids out the door, only to find that rushing took way longer than if you had slowed it way down?
You can slow down the pace, and actually get better results too. Don’t rule out the slow way. Be the turtle. There is a lot to be said about slowing down, easing the pace, and going against what has become the norm. What if by slowing down, you are giving yourself permission to enjoy the moment?
Stay present.
Listen.
Open.
Wait.
Slowing down presents you with the opportunity to stay present, thereby creating more awareness in the moment, which allows you to be more mindful. When you are present, you can listen to your body, your thoughts, and take notice. Being present and listening, gives way to being open…open to receiving, open to possibilities, open to seeing things differently. And then, wait. The waiting is the hardest part. That pause, the uncomfortable space, which you notice you may try to fill too quickly. You see? It all comes back to rushing. Wait, just wait.
Slow. Slow. Slow. You will not lose. What could you gain by going slower? Perhaps, more time. Not everything is a race based upon being the fastest. For the majority of people, their lives are so fast-paced, and they are moving so quickly, life becomes a blur. I know I’ve fallen prey to this. I’m still trying to figure out how my daughter is graduating from elementary school at the end of this week, and my son is waving goodbye to Kindergarten. Life is speeding by at warp speed. I recognize not everything must move at snail-speed, but not everything needs to happen lightning-quickly either.
I admit, sometimes I become frustrated when people move slower than I do, or when I just need one item at the grocery store, and every line seems to be chock full of people with a million things in their cart and it seems like everyone is moving in slow motion in that moment. Can’t anyone see I’m in a rush? No, they can’t. It’s in those moments, I’m reminded I need to take a pause and slow down. Whatever I am rushing to or from, can wait, and so can you.
What or where are you constantly rushing in life? Choose one thing every day where you will concentrate on slowing down — maybe it’s sitting down to eat and savoring each bite, instead of standing in front of the fridge scarfing down every random thing in sight because you waited too long between meals; maybe it means slowing down your exercise routine to challenge your muscles in a different way; or maybe it means taking a pause before hurriedly pushing reply on that e-mail. However it may look — stay present, listen, open, and wait.
Wondering how you can slow down to reduce your stress and overwhelm? If your go-to saying is, “I don’t have the time,” then scheduling a call with me is your best move. You make time for what’s important, and you my friend, are of the utmost importance, so make time for YOU! Schedule a call with me today to learn how to find more time in your day for what matters most.
be well. love mel.