Slow is the New Sexy

The Thought: We live in a world that values speed and hurry over slow and steady. The result leads to burn out, depression and anxiety because we’re behind and can’t keep up.

We lack margin, peace and joy.

This is where I found myself. The brink. I’m here to thread my story together to help other people avoid falling off the cliff, so to speak.

Travel to any corner of the entrepreneurial world, tap someone on the shoulder and ask them if they feel like they’re “behind”.

The answer? Yes.

We became entrepreneurs for freedom yet we find ourselves slaves to someone else’s voice, expectation, values, desires and attach ourselves to them and then wonder why we don’t feel good.

I want to give some thoughts on this and why I think Slow is the New Sexy…

The best drives I’ve ever taken are close to sunset on a early summer day through rolling green hills going the speed limit or maybe a little below because I don’t want the moment to pass.

That’s what I want my life to be…

Moments that I don’t want to pass.

That’s what I want my business to be.

Yet, it’s mostly always been full throttle. Never taking anytime to “look out the window”. No wonder we burn out.

3 Things for Us To Consider:

1. Am I Going My Speed?

Sure, there are seasons I need to go a faster pace. You can’t drive a F1 car from NC to CA though.

Why do I feel like I need to get from where I am to where I want to go, fast? When you think about it it’s because someone else has probably told me to.

If i’m not going a 100 miles per hour or if I’m not “scaling fast” I-must-be-broken. So we find ourselves in an echo chamber of a need for speed. Meanwhile, so many of these people are miserable with very little peace in their soul. I’ll take the peace, all day!

So what pace gives peace? Go that speed.

What’s the difference if you get there 6 months from now instead of 60 days from now (assuming our baselines are covered)?

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2. Am I Enjoying the Journey?

Angst and operating according to someone else’s values is a real quick way to not enjoy the journey. It’s like that annoying kid in the back seat saying “are we there yet”? That’s probably your internal child talk’n. 😜 

If I’m working on and building what I want for the pure art, service and love of it—-THAT is THE WIN! 

Can I do this thing for years to come? If the answer is no it doesn’t matter how much money or goals are achieved it’ll suck (maybe not fully). Something will need to shift.

Enjoying my work is what I’m after. It’s a process to refine and must be unearthed. I think it’s time we stop doing things just because we “should”. Screw that.

3. Systems vs Goals

We are an extremely goal oriented tribe of people. And if we’re not accomplishing those goals we’re depressed.

If we do accomplish those goals we’re elated for 5 minutes, then depressed because we’re not accomplishing our new goals yet. hahahaha. I’m not wrong!

Listen, I don’t think goals are wrong. I think we need them to give us direction. I think focusing on systems is better.

What does that even mean? The process or system I’m working on building every day. It’s thing I can execute on even when I don’t “feel like it”. If I do that consistently over time-achieving a goal is inevitable.

If I can enjoy the system/process/journey, boy oh boy. That changes everything. It

When you’re enjoying the drive you’ll probably want to go slower because you don’t want it to end.

Think about it. ;)

C

BTW, If you want me to help you with your business, reply and let me know what’s going on!