Slow Down

"We would do well to slow down a little, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

We live in a nanosecond world, and everything happens fast. And, even as fast as things happen, we want things to be faster. We want instant gratification, immediate results, and we want everything now.

Technology has a lot to do with this. Both the good and the bad. We have instant access to everything at our fingertips. Why should we wait when we can have it now? The sooner, the better. We can learn something new, find something, buy something. We can work on our tasks, do our banking, stream a movie, listen to any song, or whatever. We can instant message someone, send a text, send an email, or heaven forbid even make an archaic phone call from wherever we are. Technology has made access to things quicker and more efficient by providing instant service.

But this has made the world impatient, intolerant, and irritable. Need proof? 

Just take a look at how people drive nowadays. No one can seem to drive the speed limit, and they act as if everyone else is just in the way. We can't seem to get to where we want to go fast enough.

We get mad if our online orders take longer than two days to get to us, or worse, don't arrive on time. We get upset if our favorite show, movie, or sporting event isn't available on our mobile devices. Why should we take a letter to the post office when you can send an email without leaving your house?

Technology itself isn't the problem, however. But we no longer treat it as a luxury, and it has become a necessity and the norm, and an entitlement that we cannot seem to live without. 

Need more proof? Have you ever left the house and forgot to bring your phone with you? How does your day go? If you've ever felt the instant panic that happens, or as if you couldn't function without it, you know what I'm talking about. All you can do is think about 'all the things you must be missing on without it. Or think about how often do you look at your phone to check your messages. Do you do this at the dining table? How about in bed? When you do check your messages, how many of them absolutely could not have waited? Were they all urgent? Probably not. We have trained ourselves to be impatient.

It's in our perception of time. We all know that time itself doesn't change. Everyone has the same amount of time. No more, no less. We use technology to be more effective and efficient with our time. But still, we feel as if we don't have enough of it.

We end up saying things like, "Time flies when we are having fun." Or, "Time speeds up the older we get." Or, "Where does all the time go?"

We all value our time and hate to waste it. Yet, we don't always make the most of our time or even take enough time to enjoy our moments.

We could all use a little more patience, especially in this fast-paced world we live in. We need to take the time to slow down and practice patience, knowing it would make us calmer and happier.

• Learn to slow down.  Work to slow down and enjoy the process. Sometimes we need to slow down to speed up.
• Learn to pause or wait. Don't worry so much about keeping up with everyone else. Worry about staying ahead of where you have been.
• Learn to pace yourself. If we keep pushing harder and harder, faster and faster, we can eventually lose control or hit a wall. 
• Learn to be mindful and aware. What makes you feel impatient? What are you thinking and feeling? Practice mindfulness and being in the moment.
• Learn to enjoy what you are doing. Enjoy your meal. Enjoy your coffee.
• Learn to take a few extra minutes. Productivity isn't measured by speed. If we are constantly focusing on speeding toward the next moment, we lose sight of the ones we are currently in. Take the time to do things right.
• Learn it's ok to focus on things that aren't as important. Knock some things off your to-do list, and finish what you started or start what you haven't. 
• Learn to relax. Take a few breaths. Heaven forbid, do nothing.
• Learn to clear your mind. Take a walk.
• Learn to focus on what is most significant. Truly see the things that matter most. 

Realize that the present moment is the most critical time we have. It's ok to slow down a bit and enjoy it.

Make today great!

Curtis

"Slow down and enjoy yourself a little more, don't be so serious. Life is not a race." - Christiane Lemieux