PAUSE – 20.03 – Do You Wish Life Weren’t Speeding You By?
Reflection: Our oldest grandson becomes a teenager tomorrow. Our eldest daughter turns 40 this spring.
Where, exactly, did all those years go? And, did I live them as deeply as I might have?
Maybe you’ve experienced that accelerated passing of time as well.
These days, as I estimate when something happened, my current practice is to guess how long ago it was and then double it. I’m usually closer with the second number!
Action: With the accelerated pace of life in the 21stcentury, how do we put the brakes on the passing of time to experience life as less of a blur?
Here are a few starter ideas:
- Deepen your sense of engagement by reducing moments of distraction and mindlessness. Make a point of noticing and being fully present to as many of life’s experiences as possible.
- Stop, stoop, and really look at that child’s beaming face. Pull over to the side of the road and bask in that glorious sunset. File those moments in your mind and your memory.
- Build in a bit of grace time between commitments so you’re not constantly racing from one activity to another.
- Choose to take the long way home. While the freeway may ‘save’ you 5 minutes with lanes of racing traffic to either side, a more leisurely riverside drive allows you to decompress and soak up the beauty of nature along the way.
- Take time at the end of each day to savor its gifts. Turn your mind away from tomorrow’s to-do’s. Review today’s events and register your ta-done’s.
- Engage in activities that take your mind off your cares and let the worries and pressures fade into the background. Luxuriate in the expanse of time that opens up when you’re involved in something you love.
Quotes Of The Week: The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot. – Michael Altshuler
I think 99 times, and I find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me. – Albert Einstein
Beware the barrenness of a busy life. – Socrates
Think how precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored. – Earl Nightingale
The next message you need is always right where you are. Ram Dass
Resources Of The Week: Here are a few articles that you might find useful as you tweak the pace of your life.
- The 10 Essential Rules for Slowing Down And Enjoying Life More by Leo Babauta.
- This INC article by Andre Thomas: 4 Reasons Why Slowing Down Will Actually Make You More Successful.
- How Being Busy Makes You Unproductive by Travis Bradberry.
Readers Write: In response to the recent message, Is It Time To Sift And Shift, Pause reader LF writes:
I so needed to hear your message today!! Very timely indeed (especially post Christmas) as I was thinking there isn’t a drawer, closet, car, garage, room that couldn’t use a sift and shift. What I have to realize is that it’s a continuous process. It’s never over.Thank you for the effort you put into helping others. I have been reading your newsletter for at least 15 years.
Art: We were lucky enough to escape winter for a week in February, and really enjoyed our time in Florida and the Caribbean.
I sketched Bamboo In The Riverside Courtyard at Fort Lauderdale’s Riverside Hotel while we waited for our room to be readied.
Any day that I can paint en plein air in February is a very good day for this artist.
Tags: attitude, burnout, connection, delight, focus, happiness, health, overwhelm, pace, Pat Katz, Patricia Katz, pause, perspective, presence, productivity, Saskatoon, slowing down, speaker, speed, stress, time, time out, wellness