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In 1650, Blaise Pascal wrote ‘Most of the evils of life arise from man’s being unable to sit still in a room’. Of course we can remove the gender bias and have this read ‘people’ as this malaise is widespread.

Are you trying to do more in less time with multiple goals? Are you always exploring the limits of your potential? Are you terrified that you will die with your talents undeveloped?

There is a lot to be said of ‘slow’. Slow eating, slow reading, slow admiring the view. Faster is not better. Technology is making our lives busier. We are being told what to do by machines. Don’t you love to visit a small town or village where the pace is more tortoise like and people have time to speak to you and listen attentively? Hares are fast. Tortoises live much, much longer.

I need to declare my bias towards active fitness with almost daily running. I run fast and slow. I run a set distance as fast as I can and then run slowly to the start again. I have learned to allow myself to recover from the fast times in my life with slow times. Even when I am running I notice my surroundings. I recently had to stop to watch the sun set. It was huge and a dazzling red. I keep meeting people whose lives are a blur. The price they pay is exhaustion and an inability to enjoy anything except technology or things. They show off their PDA’s as if they had some input into its design.

Slow is not lazy. Slow is simply doing what you are doing well and savouring it. Slow is recovering from fast times. Slow is not keeping track of the time. Slow is unitasking. Boasting about how many hours you work each week is insane. If you can’t get all your work done in one day, ask HR to run a remedial class. Why boast about being obsessive or unable to relax? If something is worth doing it is worth doing slowly.

Think of some activities that you could do slowly today. Slow dancing, walking, talking, eating, reading, writing, stretching... thinking or not thinking. You can jump back onto the treadmill whenever the compulsion arises. Maybe slow will lead to enjoyment. Try getting out of bed slowly.

What could you do today to spread the slow revolution? I’d love to hear from you if you get some slow results in your life or work.

Contact me if you need a speaker in your organisation who can help people to get more energy in their lives and make the most of the time they have left. Maybe they need to learn how to inspire themselves.

Slow regards,

Paddy Spruce CSP,
web: http://www.paddyspruce.com.au,
email: paddy@paddyspruce.com.au