Fearless Enough to Slow Down -

Slow down. Most situations can wait a moment (or a minute, or even a day). So why don’t we do more of it?

The group Alabama had a song out in 1992 about being in a hurry. It talked about how we rush around doing lots of things but missing out on life and not even knowing WHY.

Sometimes it takes daring fearlessness to choose to slow down.

If you don’t slow down, you could miss the day.

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If you don’t slow down, you could miss the day.

Making the Choice to Slow Down

I don’t set an alarm. Several years ago, I stopped using an alarm and found that my body had a way of regulating itself. Normally I get up with the sun, but each year the government steals my morning and forces me to have to adjust. Today, I got up a little later than normal.

What do you do when you find you wake up late?

There was a time when I would skip something to make up for the time. I’ve been working on keeping my morning focus and then adjusting the rest of my day’s schedule according to the time that is available when I’m done.

Weird, I know. But I’ve never been accused of being normal.

I took the time to do my morning prayer and then read my Scripture. Somehow, I lost even more time in the process. Instead of forgoing my morning walk, I decided to change up the route a little (in case workers showed up on time or traffic got crazy). I discovered a hidden gem wooded space with birds and squirrels galore.

Along my new path, I encountered some neighbors enjoying their front porch – who knew people still did that? We had a nice chat and then made plans to get together to do something soon.

By the time I got back home, I was even farther behind.

It seemed like every step I took was taking twice as long.

So, I went out on the back deck and sat – no phone, no work, no worries. I enjoyed the view. I sipped my coffee. I settled into the glider my husband was kind enough to go get for me the other day. I took in the day.

I won’t get as much work done as I might have been able to do, but when I made the choice to slow down, I got so much more.

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You Gain When You Slow Down

You gain calm

The more you rush, the more chaotic the world becomes. You feel hectic because you are hectic. When you slow down, it allows calm to cover you.

You gain perspective

If you are rushing past everything, you miss it all. The reason we need to stop and smell the roses is that we can’t see what we don’t stop to appreciate. Although my hidden gem was something we had driven through a dozen times, when I slowed down to walk through it I was able to gain a new perspective on what it truly offered.

You gain opportunities

If you move too fast, you may miss the turn. This happened when we were on a trip. My husband was annoyed (probably at my wonderful navigation abilities) and was driving a little faster than was posted. In his haste, he drove past our exit – and ended up having to go miles out of our way, taking even longer in the process. When we are in a hurry, we miss exits, open doors, and opportunities to engage and connect.

How Hurried Are You?

Haste makes waste. You waste your focus. Opportunities get wasted. And joy is missed. If you want to build a fearless life, make the choice to slow down.

Dare to stop long enough to strip away the chaos and discover your way to keep it simple.

Learn More

Take a moment to check out the Peculiar Productions Learning Space. Each day, we are working to add new courses and learning opportunities.

Watch #GrowingHOPE – Hone Your Healing Place

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Catch today’s episode of the #GrowingHOPE podcast where we continue to learn more about butterfly talk by honing a healing place.

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Making the Choice to Slow Down