Pace
It doesn’t matter how many good reasons you find for giving up. Regret will always follow. Pace. It makes all the difference in the world. When we’re young, we think there is an endless amount of time. As we get older though, many of us realize that time has a limit, and is a commodity. So I opt for pace. I just don’t give up. It matters not to me the speed. It matters to me that I am moving.
The beauty of pace is the realization of the process. When we race though life, we miss things. Big things. We often never know just how much we missed by going fast. It’s interesting to me to see this unfold when I travel. My wife and I travel every month. When we plan our trip and fill up our itinerary, we both noticed that we feel rushed. Thus, leaving not the best experience. It’s not that they’re bad, but it just feels like we never really got in the groove. Fast forward to traveling with no or little plans. AMAZING! Every time we leave our travel to chance, we find the most out of the way, unbelievable places. True story.
We have found that little planning produces big results. I’m not basing this off of a handful of trips. I’m talking 2 years of traveling every month. Sure we make hotel reservations. Other than that, and maybe picking out one restaurant we want to try, we leave everything up to chance. So why does it work out? I have thought a lot about this. I believe it is for 2 reasons. First, without expectations, there will be very few disappointments. Have you ever thought, I really wasn’t expecting anything, but was actually pleasantly surprised? Bingo! That’s what I am talking about. That’s the money shot! Secondly, going slow, I find I take more in. I am more relaxed. Yes, maybe I didn’t get to do much. But what I did do, I thoroughly enjoyed. I connected. Which is the reason why I have done so well in my therapy practice. It has been more about the process of truly connecting, rather than racing towards a goal. People respond to that.
Forget the rat race and enjoy your pace. Hurry up and slow down. The payoff is huge. From mental clarity. To meaningful relationships. To improved health. To a greater sense of self. Pace will not solve all of your problems. But what it will do, is give you balance and the foresight to navigate unfavorable outcomes. Make your life a moving meditation. You’ll still get shit wrong. But the wrong won’t feel as heavy.
