The Art of Slowing Down: Adjust Your Speed and Redefine Success

The Lies We Believe

I was so frustrated. 2003, I walked to the town center of Leeuwarden, Netherlands, where I lived. Another store was closed. Yet, again. For another "holiday."

Thinking to myself, "How many holidays do these people take." Compared to Americans? A lot.

It wasn't convenient. I wanted what I wanted immediately. I didn't want to wait.

Ah, the story of my life.

I tend to want everything right now. I'm learning to be patient in all things.

As we rush to keep up with trends, society, or the next guy we fall for the trap and we're leaving ourselves behind in the process. The margin is razor-thin. All so that we can keep up. So we can accomplish.

Of course, these are the lies; if we keep up, we'll catch up. If we go faster, we'll get ahead of somebody else.

Exhale.

My life as an entrepreneur has been fast. And a life lived fast is a life lived unnoticed. What should we notice? Ourselves, our family, our friends, the goodness and grace of life, and today, because it's what we have.

"This relentless acceleration not only leads to burnout but also disrupts our ability to form meaningful relationships with the world, causing alienation. - Helmut Rosa, PhD

That was my state.

What does it mean to live fast?

Living fast means living without margin.

We simply don't have time or emotional capacity anymore. We believe that if we're not busy, we're not productive; if we're not productive, we're not worthy, valuable or useful enough.

Why do we live fast?

We're afraid to live slowly for these reasons:

1. We need to keep ourselves distracted. Slowness confronts us with the condition of our soul, so we keep a fast pace to avoid it.

2. We believe being busy is productive and that being productive is valuable.

3. It’s the cultural norm. It's the basis of our culture and environment. If we're not keeping up, we're falling behind and see that as a bad thing.

The Breaking Point

To "keep up" we push past our limits. Some of the signs when I've pushed past my limits are (but not limited to) stress, anxiety, exhaustion, overwhelm, fear, and burnout.

A fast-paced life isn't sustainable without doing significant damage. I learned this hard through collapse and reconsidering how I do everything.

The Alternative Path

Defining Slow

Slow is about orienting our lives to fit within healthy limits and margins. It allows us to operate intentionally and proactively in what we do instead of reactively. Slow is living in calm and peace. Slow is finding richness in the most mundane yet beautiful parts of life.

Defining Success

Success must be redefined. My current working definition of success is this:

"Success is living intentionally from one's true identity. It's discovering who you are, what your gifts are, cultivating those gifts and contributing them to the service of others."

Are You Tired and Weary? Take Up Courage and Downshift

I've been learning to downshift my life. It takes courage and commitment to a different path.

If you want more margin, it's available. If you want more peace, it's available. If you want more enjoyment, that's available.

The last couple of years have been a practice of shedding things I no longer needed. I sold my big house, lake house, boat, and anything else I didn't need. There's nothing inherently wrong with those things, but they require me to give them my margin.

What is taking margin from you? Is your schedule jam-packed? Do you have more stuff than you need?

My encouragement for you today is to consider letting go. It takes courage, but it's well worth it.

Feel free to send this to someone who would benefit from it.

C