Slow Down

"Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference. Being busy is a form of laziness -- lazy thinking and indiscriminate action."

-- Timothy Ferris. The 4 Hour Work Week, p. 73.

What do you really want to do? What do you really need to do? Actions in these two categories are important. The question is: Why are you doing all the rest of that stuff?

The old and tired reasons people usually trot out include -- I have to, I always do, someone else expects me to, if I didn't do it who would, I'm better at it than other people, it keeps me busy, what else do I have to do, and of course, why not. Ferris nails it dead center when he says "lazy thinking and indiscriminate action."

Even the "want to" and "need to" categories should be examined. Much of what people think they want to do is merely habit. When they delve into those habits, they see that they really quit wanting to do those things years ago. Needs, too, are highly subjective. Much of what you think you need to do could be done by someone else or not done at all.

There's an ad on TV right now that begins with the phrase "25,000 mornings." It goes on to say, that's what we get, if we're lucky. The question is: How do you want to spend those mornings? Do you want to keep doing what you've always done, fill your mornings with busyness, and zoom out the door to work? Or do you want to really look at your life, and consciously and passionately choose what you with to do with each of those mornings?

"Slow down" is not a message that gets a whole lot of cultural support. The economy, technology, sports, entertainment, career development -- it's all about speeding up. Or as one Bob Dylan song puts it, we're headed "90 miles an hour down a dead end street." May I suggest putting on the brakes? May I suggest taking another route altogether? Not only will you avoid an inevitable crash, the scenery is so much nicer at a gentler pace.

And isn't that what life is all about -- the journey, not the destination. The destination for all of is the same -- six feet under with dirt thrown over us. Now's the time to enjoy life. Today. Consciously. Slowly. Do what makes your heart sing.