Maria Arpa
This week
Slow down
Plus…
Maria’s Midweek Mindfulness
and
The Wednesday Whisper
Putting the brakes on
There is always another email to reply to, another task to complete, another decision to be made, and a belief that rushing, multi-tasking, and doing things quickly will get us to the end of the list when we can finally put our feet up.
Here’s the problem. While a short burst of speed can be exhilarating or necessary (for example, the hours of service in a restaurant), it works when there is a stopping point. Once we turn ‘fast’ into a way of life, we miss out on the richness of presence. With presence I can connect to what I am doing. I can feel the feelings and therefore reflect on what I like and don’t like. I can engage in my surroundings and sense what is joyful and what creates inner conflict.
And once ‘fast’ contaminates our free time, we are now avoiding the true reflection that helps us understand whether we are leading the life we really want to live. Of course, it may be that we know we are not leading our best life, and we use ‘fast’ and ‘busy’ to avoid confronting the truth.
For those of us with enough freedom to determine our choices, not leading our best life is a squandering of the resources and gifts afforded to us because we never become fulfilled enough to support others to lead their best life too.
Maria’s Mindfulness Moment
Taking my time does not slow me down. Regrouping, reflecting, engaging mindfully and practising feeling my heart beating helps differentiate between being just getting things done and breathing life into what I’m doing.
The Wednesday Whisper
When did you last pause to take in all the feelings and determine your real purpose?