It’s time we seriously take things easy again. Yep, that’s right, it’s time people seriously start to chill the fuck out.
Can you remember the best moment of your month so far? Were you rushing in your car from a meeting to another while trying to sip your cold latte and call your boss for his birthday which you missed while actually thinking about the report you screwed up and the flowers you didn’t send to your mother-in-law? Or were you relaxing next to the river with a cold beer in your hand with nothing to worry you other than: "What’s for diner"?
While the answer may very well be "none of the above", I’m wiling to bet the situation was closer to the latter.
It seems to me that now everything has become a race. How soon can we close this sale? How fast can I lose 10 kilos? How quickly can we get to Brooklyn? How fast can one make a Lady Baltimore Cake? Enough of that stuff. Let’s face the facts. Fast is completely unsustainable. Live in the fast lane long enough and you start to loose all sense of control and that’s when shit starts to hit the fan.
I can think of more than a dozen reason why slowing down beats going faster every time, but’s let’s just focus on a few here.
1. Slowing down leads to weight loss.
"We need to slow down and enjoy and then we’ll get the results we’ve been looking for—and sooner than we expect.”
― Marc David, The Slow Down Diet
Amen Mr. David. Bloody Amen. Marc David wrote a book about it, and it’s a great read. Grab a copy while you’re at it.
2. Creativity is maximized.
Michael Schumacher is a great and intelligent bloke, and I guarantee you exactly zero of his good ideas came to him in a race. A relaxed, stress-free setting is the best way to come up with your best work.
3. Better communication and problem-solving skills.
What’s impressive in today’s world is someone who can solve extremely complex problems and turn them into strong opportunities to advance our society. You won’t find such a person checking their Instagram every 5 minutes. You’ll find deep within work, at a slow, sustainable pace. I would pick that guy in my team over the one with the attention span of a fly every single time, and so would you. Slow down and become that guy.
Let’s not get all emotional about it, but rather, let’s just remember this one thing: Take the time to slow down today, and you will be better for it.