Have you ever been in a hurry and you break a glass on the floor and needed to spend extra time cleaning it up? Or, have you been late to an appointment and every detour you try is more crowded than the last? Or running around trying to get out of the house on-time only to find that you left your cell phone at home?
“Slower is faster” was first introduced to me in a book about athletics. For example, when paddling a kayak, if you give it 100%, you will rock side to side and not move as smoothly. Giving 85% will allow you to flow smoothly in the water and get you to the finish line faster. In this example, “slower is faster.” I have found that this concept relates to not only to athletics, but life in general.
“Slower is faster” is a concept that brings us back to our innate wisdom or divine source to guide us to flow with life rather than resist it. Surely you’ve heard the concept of flowing with the stream rather than against it. More effort does not always mean better results. When we resist, the roadblocks jump in our face to purposely slow us down (like stubbing your toe or breaking a glass). By slowing down, we are more likely able to be present with our tasks. This means we are not just in our heads, but in our body and guided by our heart with everything we do. A friend once told me to do everything with love, from signing your name to washing dishes and everything in between. This will ensure your presence with each task.
Being present allows us to be open to the opportunities that make life seamless. You may feel that you are moving in slow motion but you will find you are more productive in the long run. On the contrary, when we are not present and rushing to reach an end result, we may be spinning our wheels on useless tasks that were not meant for our true purpose. We may spend hours or even years going down a path that ends up being a dead-end street. We thought this would lead us to happiness but instead, we have wasted valuable time enduring a lot of stress only to see that we are two steps back from where we started.
Next time you work endless hours for that big sale or for that result you’ve been striving for, ask yourself, am I being present in every moment of this journey? Or, am I spinning my wheels only focused on the end result that that I believe will bring me happiness, or money, or fame? Living each moment, in the moment, allows us to be open and flowing with life rather than against it. This is essential to living a life of bliss. Slow down, enjoy each moment, and find your way back to your true path.
