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When the author of this post, Juha, came to me and asked about writing a post on slowness, my one thought was: Yes! Slowing down is something I need to do a lot more of in my life and I was thrilled to read Juha's advice. Juha is the author behind Ever Evolve, a blog on Simple and Effective Self Development.
Have you noticed that each year our society is doing everything faster and faster? I'm not sure if this path is bettering the quality of our lives, as many believe it inevitably should. It is a burden to always be expected to answer your cell phone quickly. Cramming thousands of activities into your day is stressful also. All of this leads to one question: Does fast always equal better?
My Wake Up Call
My wake up call to the absurdity of the constant hurry came when I began timing things I did during my days. At first I began timing things like, how long I was working on a project, and the naps I was taking here and there. By doing this I was able to increase the amount of tasks I got done during my days. It all seemed to be working just fine. But then one day I noticed myself timing the minutes that I spent with friends and family, like I had something better to do. I knew I had gone too far. I remember thinking to myself - this is my life, and these are the most precious moments that I have on this planet. Why should I rush them?
Slowing Down: A Movement
I knew that I needed a change, and I did what anyone else these days would do - I googled the term: Slowing Down. I was surprised to find that there was a whole movement against the constant hurry of our modern society. Apparently other people had also noticed that going fast wasn't making their lives better.
- Slow Walk: People are collectively slowing down the pace of their lives in London, by organizing slow-paced walks around their city.
- Slow Food: There's a Slow Food movement that has spread all over the world. It serves as a counter movement to everything that fast food represents.
- Slow Fashion: People are getting into Slow Fashion, which can be thought of as the opposite of constantly shopping for what the current trend happens to be.
The Worship of Fast
In our world doing things fast is praised. Answering questions fast means you're smart. The ability to multitask is admired by our employers. Being able to prepare a meal in a few minutes is thought of as a good thing. And life is only getting faster since the technology we create constantly steers us in that direction. Modern life has become a race. We are in a race to reach something -- but we're not quite sure what that something is. All we know is that, we need to get there ASAP.
Our True Life
In a way, this constant rushing around acts as mask that blinds us from our true lives. We fuss around too much to even notice it. Our true lives are happening right now, at this very moment. We can miss our whole life on the path of doing everything fast. The people who are intentionally slowing down have realized this already. They have decided not to follow the examples of the people frantically hurrying around them. What if, instead of doing everything fast, you and I could embrace doing (everything that is worth doing) slow. Here is a list of ideas on where to start:
- Preparing Your Own Meal: We could begin enjoying our foods more as we took more time to prepare them with care.
- Sit Down for a Nice Talk: As we take time to actually listen to our loved ones, our relationships with them will improve. Slow down and take your mind off your to-do list for a few moments.
- Relax: When you feel your body tensing up for any reason, take a moment to center yourself by relaxing your whole body and taking a few deep breaths. We can live much healthier lives as we allow our bodies the rest they deserve. Now is the perfect time to slow down the speed of your life. You'll be happy you did.
This article was written by Juha, the author behind Ever Evolve, a blog on Simple and Effective Self Development. If you enjoyed this post you might also be interested in Living in the Moment : Reclaim the Most Important Skill You Ever Lost.
This is a really beautiful article and I agree, slowing down is really important, damn important in fact. After all, we are only alive for such a short amount of time....
Posted by: Ryan Lim | August 06, 2011 at 01:54 AM
Ryan - Thanks so much for your comment! I agree that Juha's article is a great reminder that we need to slow down and spend more time enjoying the short time we have.
Posted by: positively present | August 06, 2011 at 08:02 AM
It is so easy to get caught up in trying to do as many things as we can as fast as possible and forget to enjoy them. When we slow down it allows us to be mindful and in the moment and actually take notice of our lives.
Ryan - I think your point about only being here a short amount of time may be the reason that so many of us go so "fast", when we should be doing the opposite.
Thanks for the great insight and important reminder Juha.
Posted by: We're So Inspired | August 11, 2011 at 04:11 PM
WSI - Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting on this guest post! Slowing down really does allow us to be present and to feel more fulfilled by what we're doing.
Posted by: positively present | August 11, 2011 at 05:19 PM
Not so long ago I wrote an article on slowing down. I found myself getting injured because I was rushing.
The world needs to slow down but only seems to be getting faster!
Here is the article link:
http://hereismy2cents.blogspot.com/2011/08/slowing-down-painless-alternative.html
Posted by: Bruce | August 30, 2011 at 04:41 AM
Bruce - Thanks for stopping by and commenting on this guest post! I'm looking forward to checking out your article.
Posted by: positively present | August 30, 2011 at 07:24 AM