Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobblestones.
Looking for fun and feelin' groovy.
-The 59th Street Bridge (aka "Feelin' Groovy)
Simon & Garfunkel
I am definitely a girl who moves too fast. In fact, I think the exact words of "Slow down, you move too fast!" have been said to me in the past. I am a very fast walker. I am a decent public speaker, but am often told that I speak too quickly. I was usually the first one finished on exams in school. I type quickly. I can regularly get my kids ready from waking up to walking out the door for school in 20 minutes flat. And I am afraid to slow down.
Being fast has become a defining quality for me. I have so many balls in the air between work and home and parenting and church and other activities and people that I feel like I am rushing around from one commitment to the other,with the hope that if I do it quickly enough that no one will notice that I am running on empty and totally valuing expediency over quality to get by.
Recently, I have dropped several balls and made several mistakes and had enough of a wake-up call to realize that I need to slow down. And the thought is terrifying. How do people determine what to drop? If I work slower and move about life with more deliberation, what if I still drop just as many balls? What if people figure out that I can do a lot of things with mediocre quality, but am not as good at actually excelling in any one particular thing ?
My goal is to figure out how to slow down. And to feel groovy. ;)
3 comments:
I feel like this was me as well this fall. SO much going on all the time and I am running on empty. Time for a vacation and some refocusing for sure! :)
You can't do too many things in a better fashion than you can do fewer things. Decide what are real versus perceived obligations. Then throw in a few wants. That oughta do it!
Amy, we are so so much alike! Probably why I like you so much. ;) I've been focusing on solving this very problem myself lately. I read the book Getting Things Done, which has been very helpful to keep from dropping all the balls in the air. And I have cut back on electronic/social media time and gotten better at saying "no." I can say I am happier and calmer as a result. Good luck!
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