Do you feel like you’re running on a hamster wheel, always on the go, doing things to cross off your to-do list, but ultimately getting nowhere. Is OVERWHELM the theme of your life?
In this fast-paced society, we pride ourselves on being busy. Busy=Accomplishments=Success.
Yet this could not be further from the truth; this is part of the illusion of our reality. Most Americans have bought into it, though.
I can still remember the first time I went to Jamaica. We got off the plane, and I was immediately frustrated by the lackadaisical attitude and behavior of the airport staff, and then the hotel staff. I think it took me three days to become adjusted to the mentality, and slow pace of life, in Jamaica. After a week, I could appreciate the different pace of life. The world would not end if I did cross things off my to-do list immediately! Maybe it really WAS more important to just sit on the beach.
After repeated trips to the islands, and with age, I’ve come to realize the value of slowing down, of standing still. I also wrote about this in a blog post I wrote about an experience in New York City. You would think New York City is the epitome of busy-ness and the complete opposite of the mindset of Jamaica. And yet it was there, in the middle of traffic and in a cab, that I was reminded of the same spiritual truth I experienced in the Caribbean Islands.
That sometimes standing still is the action that will move you forward the fastest.
I used to think I was learning this as a result of ‘getting older’, but then I’ve seen too many career women who are still on the treadmill and find it really hard to slow down. To stop the busyness. To be mindful.
Now I realize that it’s a practice. You have to learn to be mindful. Standing still doesn’t come naturally with age. But it’s sooo worth the practice. The power that comes from slowing down, standing still, and attuning to the deep space within you is beyond anything you can accomplish on your own. The power that comes from your Higher Self is limitless.
Have you experienced that power? What happens for you when you slow down and tap into that power?
