Hurry! Do It Now! Be Busier! You Gotta Hustle! If You’re Not In A Hurry, You’re Not Working Hard Enough!
Have you ever heard stuff like this? Maybe from your boss? Your parents? Or maybe you’ve even heard it from that voice inside your head? You know, the one telling you that you can’t take any time off, the voice telling you that sitting around is wasting time, that to keep up with the rest of society you must always be moving at the speed of light. It’s that deceptive voice that rings in your ears screaming that you absolute positively can NOT slow down….
Why is this? How have we gotten to this point?
I think this is largely a cultural phenomenon, especially in recent years as advertising has become more and more prevalent, telling us we’re going to miss out on some incredible deal if we don’t sign on the dotted line right this very second—if we don’t act now! Or the movies that always show the successful people as the super-busy, high-functioning, eat-your-lunch-standing-up-while-working-out-and-typing-email kind of people. It’s these types of examples that we subconsciously try to imitate.
But I also think it’s due to the insanely popular “productivity” industry. Did you know there are now over 2200 apps in the iTunes app store for personal productivity? That’s just crazy to me! Seriously, how many different tools do we need to make sure we are working harder?
Regardless of why the voice is stuck in our heads, pushing us to work harder and be busier, it needs to go. It’s time we learn that it’s okay to take a break. It’s okay to chill. It’s okay to take days off, to take a walk, to enjoy a hobby, to spend time with someone you love with complete presence and intention.
It’s time we slow down and feel okay about it.
This may be more of a lesson for me than it is for you. But I hope that together, during the next seasons of our lives, we can begin to practice slowing down and enjoying the precious little time we have left on earth. Truth is, our days are numbered and there isn’t anything we can do about that. But what we can do is make the most out of what the good Lord has given us. And don’t you think you’ll look back on your life with more gratitude knowing you took the time slow down and enjoy every moment? I think so.
For more on this thought and to see how others are taking time to slow down, download the new action-based app, go.do and join my group “Daily Dose of Hope”
