It happened again. You’re on your way to a doctors appointment running 10 min. late. The knot in your stomach grows as you watch the clock while you’re at the stop light. You think, “Damn it. I hate being late.”
But here you are. You know you’ll be late. You rush through the lights, even driving through 2 red lights looking around you for a lurking police car just so you can breathe a sigh of relief when you don’t see one and go on your way.
You park. Rush into the office and up to the front desk. “Sorry I’m late…” and on you go with “why” you’re late.
Sounds familiar. I know. I did this a lot. Not to just doctor’s appointments, but play dates with friends, work, dinner engagements, and more. Until one day I said out loud to myself, “I don’t want to be in a hurry ANYMORE!”
That was the intention that began to change my “rushing” habit.
I thought if I could fit just one more thing in…one more email, one more load of laundry, one more phone call, one more check off the to do list, or one more activity, I’d feel more accomplished or successful for the day. I’d feel relief and perhaps even some happiness for getting more done.
I’m calling the bullshit factor on that one now that I know it’s all a belief. Not one ounce of it’s true.
There’s a great quote by Lao Tzu: “Nature is not in a hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
How does nature do it?
It allows things/life to happen in its own time. What a relief? Since I’ve taken on this practice of not being in a hurry I feel so relaxed, so at ease in my work day. And guess what? The things I want to do actually get done, just not in the time frame I use to think they should get done in – and it all still works out GREAT!
Am I never in a hurry anymore? No. Sometimes it still happens, but when it does, it reminds me why I set the intention to not be in a hurry anymore.
Here are 5 tips on how to not be in a hurry:
- Do less. Yes. It’s true. Do less. Doing less actually allows you to feel more relaxed in what you are doing. You actually become more present with what you’re doing. When you feel overwhelmed, hurried or rushed, it means you have too much crammed into your day. Would you like to really enjoy that meal or rush through it on to the next thing? Would you like connect with a friend, or rush through it on to the next thing?
- Give yourself plenty of time to get somewhere. A teacher once said, “You’re either early or your late, there’s no in between.” She is right. I like to arrive 5 min. early to an appointment so I feel relaxed when I get there and have time to take a few breaths – even read a magazine (what a novel idea!). In order to get there with 5 min. to spare, plan your leave home time to allow for the drive to get there + 5 min. I promise, you’ll feel better for it.
- Change your mindset. You’ve believed up until now you’ve “got to get it all done by…” Open to the possibility that it’s not true. That life will be o.k. if those things don’t get done in the time frame you think they should get done. What happens when you get sick and you can’t do anything? Life still works out! Trust that it will get done when it’s ready to. Really – trust me on this.
- Begin to eliminate what’s not necessary. How many things do you do that could be done by someone else? Is it really worth learning how to fix your plumbing issue by yourself when it takes 3 hours of your time to do it, when you could hire someone to do it and it takes them 20 min.? I mean really? Stop being stubborn and ask for help (I use to be this way, so I know).
- Practice mindfulness. Come back to this moment with your breath. I’ll say it almost every blog post – meditation helps you with this. It helps you with your mindset, seeing your beliefs as a belief and not truth, coming back to this moment, relaxing, and more.
Categories: Meditation & Mindfulness