We are hopelessly addicted to speed in life today, rushing around, desperate to “get somewhere,” looking for the fastest solutions to everything, breathless in the chase, doggedly running, running, running.
This is reality even though we all know we could slip on a banana peel and lose it all any second. The world is round, and so are the circles that have us endlessly chasing our tail in search of … something. We know perfectly well that speed won’t help in any major way, but we pursue it nonetheless. I don’t know why.
I do know that stopping your speeding at least occasionally will make you healthier and happier. Not all of us can be monks, resigned from the world, but we can all learn how to stop now and then.
We resist this learning because speeding often seems fun. It seems the more exciting and glamorous perspective to take. We may be fond of telling about the tortoise’s sly win over the hare, but the story is potent in the first place because we admire the speed of the rabbit. The tortoise is comparatively dull.
We’re so used to speeding that slowing down can be terrifying, not unlike drug withdrawal.
Learning how to stop really isn’t optional, though. If we don’t stop everything now and then, nature will do it for us. We’re all amazed today at the pictures of a deserted Manhattan in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. In everyone’s life, there comes a time when, like it or not, the mad rush forward is brought to a screeching halt.
Such moments will be extremely stressful unless we get used to stopping. If we are in the habit of entering and exiting the tumultuous flow at will, then we build massive resistance to any kind of assault.
Journal writing is an excellent way to incorporate stopping into your days. A few minutes with your journal stops everything and then returns you to reasonable speed as you carry on.
Transition from the fog of sleep to a calm and in-control start to your day; touch back to your heart and soul in the midst of work’s chaos; quiet your mind by writing before bedtime. You’ll quickly come to need this time of stopping just as much as you want to speed, if not more!
Don’t wait for a Frankenstorm or an illness or other catastrophe to finally learn how to stop. Rather, give your capacity to stop a good workout every day, just as you need a physical workout to keep fit. And just as it’s okay to skip one day of exercise but not two, your practice in stopping has to be consistent for it to serve you properly. Do it every day to break your obsession with speed. Give your happiness and health at least equal time.
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My eWorkbook, Peace of Mind and Body: 27 Days of Journaling to Health and Happiness is this week’s featured 99-cent special! Next 27-Day Challenge: January 1-27, 2013. Sign up here!
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Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/takomabibelot/451407909/
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