In Praise of Slowness

In a culture addicted to busy-ness and the deception that doing, doing, doing makes us better, faster, smarter... let's talk about slowing down. Speed fires up our adrenals and actually acts as an inhibitor to confront ourselves on deeper, smarter questions e.g. How am i doing?, What do i feel?, Do i like this? Am I happy? Finding pockets of slowness and stillness makes us better thinkers, happier people, better parents, partners, and leaders - and frankly, far more interesting. It's not even debateable. Everyone needs to practice slowness - in personal, family, and organizational life today. Nobody can access the higher level thinking and awareness necessary if they don't. When people tell you, "I'm so busy" or "I have no time in my schedule," the potential implication is that they aren't taking care of themselves in ways that demonstrate they are valuable thinkers, innovators, and balanced people. As well, they are narrating and embedding patterns that keep them in a loop of speed, dissatisfaction, and chronic un-mindfulness. Let's change what we value and stop the addiction and attraction to busy-ness. In doing so, we build rich and satisfying relationships, jobs, cultures, and lives.