Life: Slow and Steady Wins The Race

Posted on April 1, 2017 Updated on April 2, 2017

There’s an avenue in Redondo Beach that dips twice with depressions in the asphalt deep enough that, unless you are driving a big truck or an SUV, you’re liable to experience a horrible sound. The awful scraping is that of your car’s front end getting mangled where the hill bottoms out.

Many motorists “gun it,” not realizing the impending damage to their vehicle. I’ve seen an entire bumper fly off a car when the driver was unaware of how slow they needed to proceed.

For most vehicles to drive down this road unscathed, it requires slowing down to the extent of an almost complete stop. Certainly, a very slow coast. It makes me nervous because there are often cars behind me, impatiently waiting. But, I learned to ignore what’s behind me or who’s upset with me. It’s not about them, it’s about me, the health of my passengers and my vehicle, and where I am going. I don’t want to damage my car, so I block out the agro-drivers who try to bully me into running my car into the ground.

I think life is a lot like this road. We can get distracted by others or by our own inner critique, attempting to shove us forward at lightning speed when it’s not conducive. Sometimes your will and determination have the right intentions, to push you faster than what is realistic at the given time. Circumstances get in the way; life happens. Like my toddler pouring coffee on my laptop. Ever since, I’ve had to borrow the hubby’s laptop to check email or post a blog. I’ve been relying on my iPhone quite a bit.

Not having access to your personal computer in this day and age can be an obstacle. As I write this on my iPad, I find that it’s just not the same. Especially trying to read and comment on other blogger’s posts. Sometimes, my phone will hiccup and erase my comment. I must then start again. Or the buffering time causes delays when trying to read and comment. It’s been a pain. So, I haven’t been updating this blog as much this week and haven’t touched the other 2 blogs I manage. I missed my laptop, as my computer just finally arrived. Though in all honesty, being off my computer forced me to enjoy being more in the moment.

When things happen, all we can do is be patient and wait. Most of us aren’t patient. Personally, I tend to want to get things done immediately and I hate procrastinating. While, being a “go-getter” and a “doer” can be great traits to have, we need to also be aware of proper timing. Most of us want everything now and don’t want to wait. And if we can skip a few steps to jump ahead, most of us would. But, something that I’ve learned is that we’re all on a journey and we’re hopefully learning from our experiences along the way.

As a parent, I’ve learned to slow down and to savor. I genuinely empathized with a blog post by a mother who has learned to weather her personal storm and as a result, enjoys life at a more measured pace. Most people cringe at the word “slow.” It somehow has a derogatory connotation. Slow seems to mean stupid. Slow also appears to mean unproductive. Yet, slow can also mean steady. Slow can also mean deliberate, calculated movement.

We can still move at a productive pace that doesn’t force ourselves to rush into mistakes. Rather, we strategize and think twice to accomplish things the right way and the first time around. When you eat slower, you savor the flavor of your food. Most of us want to gorge our way through life. We take that phone meeting via our car’s Bluetooth, thanks to smart cars and phones, all the while speeding down the freeway with a mouthful of our lunch, rushing to make it to our next destination.

The Bottom Line:

When you slow down to appreciate every movement, you also savor your children and your loved ones rather being in a blind rush. I told myself that if my head is always down working away and busy staying “productive,” I’ll look up one day to see that a decade has gone by. I don’t want to miss moments in my life because I’m too busy keeping busy.

Slow doesn’t mean we have to go at a snail pace but instead that we learn to be more methodical and calculating with the steps we need to take and to know what is priority. Like the tortoise to the hare, slow and steady instead of fast and wild can result in a far greater reward.

Carl Honore

This entry was posted in Life, Self Help and tagged Achievement, happiness, Health, Inspiration, Life, mental health, Motivation, Personal Development, Self Help, Success.

29 thoughts on “Life: Slow and Steady Wins The Race”

Amanda Tiernan Cabe said:
April 1, 2017 at 10:39 AM

This past year has been a year full of lessons to NEVER TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED; especially the everyday. Always a good reminder. Thank you.

Life: Slow and Steady Wins The Race

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29 thoughts on “Life: Slow and Steady Wins The Race”

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