Hurry Doesn't Help
I don't know about you, but some days I find myself rushing around and telling myself that I need to hurry up and get things done! It’s like I’m in this state of moderate anxiety where something in my body is saying that if I don’t hurry chaos will ensue.
Now, I’ve certainly had hard days but as I look back on my life, this dreaded “chaos” has never arrived.
One part of me thinks Well, that’s because you’ve been rushing around and it keeps the chaos at bay! Nice job!
Another, more centered, part of me wonders if all this hurrying about with anxiety is really necessary. What will happen if I relax a bit, deal with things intentionally rather than frantically, and slow down and enjoy the ride a little more?
I’ve tried it and the result is that I’m much more content, days seem longer - in a good way - and surprise surprise I tend to get about the same amount accomplished (or more).
It’s reminds me of a quote from a Chinese Philosopher:
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” - Lao Tzu
This is interesting to think about. Consider the things you love about nature … the sunrise, spring blooms, snow capped mountains, looking in the canopy of massive trees, small bugs that catch your eye …
Are these things RUSHING and STRAINING to become some other version of themselves? It sure doesn't seem like it. In each and every season we can see dramatic changes in nature, but it is always in the present, allowing itself to unfold as the occasion requires - totally unhurried.
Perhaps there is a lesson in this for us.
Is all of our hurry helping us love our own lives and each other? Probably not. Often I’ve found myself wanting to be something else, have something else, live somewhere else … Does nature ever feel this way? Or is it content to be as it is?
It seems like humans are the only living creatures that lament being what they are. Obviously, other living organisms cannot tell us if they’d prefer to be something else. But have you ever met a dog who isn’t absolutely delighted to be a dog?
I want to live my life more like this. Present, content, delighted to be who I am, calmly attending to what needs my attention.
Here are some tools that help me slow down and remember to delight in who I am:
Rhythms of stillness: daily and weekly rhythms will help you detox from the anxiety
Restorative movement: walking, yoga, swimming will help you get back into the present
Reflection: writing, meditation, prayer awaken a broader awareness of reality
Here’s to slowing down and enjoying the ride. Let’s remember that nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
Happy to be in your corner,
Tom
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