We were taught that the more we do, the more productive and successful we would become. Speed was crucial too - the quicker we acted, the more we could accomplish. Can you feel the upward spiral already?
In times when everything has already sped up so much, we are invited to slow down. We are even invited to stop. And when we do not, the world may stop us—either through the system breaking down, kids falling ill, or our bodies forcing us to rest. We may not always be willing to listen, but curiosity is growing more and more.
I recently had a client contact me, sharing that everything around her seemed to stop working. The email marketing system got jammed, her camera for recording videos had a blurry vision, and Facebook didn't allow her to schedule posts. She wanted to use her newfound free time for her business, exclaiming, "I am not tired! I want to get things going." My response: "Beautiful, I wasn't asking if you are tired; I was asking when you offered yourself some space to rest, recharge, think, and breathe."
There was silence, a special connection with my clients, knowing when they are deceiving themselves. After some time, she replied, "Ohhh." I asked her to close her eyes and consider the one thing that would bring her joy and happiness right now. After a few seconds, she said it would be a barefoot walk in the forest. I encouraged her to drop everything and do it.
The next day, she messaged me, saying, "You won't believe it. During the walk, I not only relaxed and took pressure off me, but I got new and better ideas on how to complete the project I wanted. When I got back home, I already knew what I needed to do and how! Thank you for reminding me to slow down before moving forward." The following day, she shared, "Magda, my camera works fine, the newsletter system works like new, and all posts are scheduled in Business Suite on Facebook?"
This is the true art of slowing down. We need to slow down to move forward. If we are willing to listen, we will know what to do.
What is it that YOU need NOW to move forward? The answer may seem absurd. I often hear my heart responding: call a friend, have a piece of dark chocolate, take a nap, enjoy a cup of rose tea, hug my daughter, look through the window, or even take a cold shower. Not so much logical, but so much powerful! Are you ready to slow down before moving forward?
In gratitude,
Magda