Slow Down: Life's Not a Race

Suddenly, just realized that life was not a race that I need to win. I am not in a competition. I don't need to hurry in everything because we all have our own moments, our own season. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity. So instead of stressing myself about how my life will be, I learn to enjoy the present moment. I take a break when I need to, I travel to free my mind from all the worries. 

Our reality sabotages us

Our life feels like a race because we look at what everyone else is doing and then compare it with our own results. When I look at my friends I see:

– They’re married

– They own a house (or two)

– They have kids

– They’re very fit

Who says that this is what success looks like? Who puts a timeline on when or even why you need to do all of these things?

While I don’t believe that we should waste time, I do believe we shouldn’t become obsessed with it. Time is more important than money. It’s the clock that never stops and it will end one day.

One of my old friends told me that he doesn’t want kids. I thought it was odd until I saw how happy he was with knowing what he wants. All of our success is different.

What you think you want, you don't

You’re running this race against time because of the things you think you want. We're always chasing the next sunset because we think that's what we want. But there will be some uncertainties that may go along- when we finally get it, we want the opposite. It is easy to obsess over something you don't have. 

The truth is your wants will change and so will the timeline. Embrace this uncertainty and know that surprises are fun. Life is going to throw things at you and that's what makes it worth living. 

Slow down

Now that we know this race is a myth, we can slow down. 

By slowing down, we can enjoy where we are right now. We can be happy with all the things we’ve accomplished rather than dwelling on what we think we should have already completed. By slowing down, we get to be truly happy again.

We can sit by the beach and watch a sunset. We can hang out with friends and be fully present without a phone in sight. We can eat an incredible meal and enjoy every bite. Why can we slow down and do these things? Because we’ve quit the race we thought we were running.

By seeing the truth, we’ve created possibility in our lives. We’ve become open to whatever life throws at us and we’re equipped to deal with the different seasons of life.

Having a quality time with yourself, just enjoying the moment and the surroundings will help you get refreshed and have a new perspective. It's important to clear your head and take a deep breath. You need a break to reconnect with yourself and your dreams, reconnect with people important to you.