You read about it all the time.
How the pace of life keeps
Accelerating,
And, accelerating,
And, accelerating even more.
I don’t know if you feel it. But, chances are you probably do.
In my quest for a mindfulness of harmony, I have become better at taking “momentary breaks” and enjoying moments more fully, even if they are small breaks from an otherwise fast paced life.
I was listening to a famous NFL referee yesterday answer the question, “How do you do all that you do? Be a lawyer, be a great referee, travel all over the country, AND be a good grandfather?”
His answer was one I often hear…
“Sleep is for wimps. I can rest when I die.”
I used to adhere to that philosophy, and some argue that I still do.
But, I don’t want to.
The other part of his answer, I found more insightful. “It’s all part of life. I don’t try to compartmentalize. I just embrace it and do it.”
That makes more sense to me. Ultimately, it is all “part of life” and time management is an on-going balance of prioritizing and execution.
But, let me share a little bit of my past few days…
I got home on a redeye Friday morning from Phoenix. Spent all day working from home and enjoyed some time with the family between conference calls. Friday night we had a soccer game that I was coaching. Saturday I worked out, tried to keep the computer off, had a few basketball games. Never made it out on date night, because we were a bit spent. Sunday was a nice day. Worked, watched football, tried to spend some time with the boys, watched my son play a basketball game. As Sunday night approached, the race was starting.
I stayed up watching our programs with my wife, and didn’t go to bed until midnight. Watching a few hours of TV is a bit of a reset for us before the week starts. Not sure it’s the best use of time on Sunday nights, but it’s fun.
I got up before 4 am to pack for a week long trip. North Carolina on Monday for meetings with a strategic partner that is a very exciting opportunity. Monday night flew through Chicago to Phoenix. Hours and hours in middle seats flying across the country. Here in Phoenix for some client meetings. Working on strategy and 2015 planning in open moments. Calling new recruits for interviews on breaks. Following up with recent hires to make sure people are onboarding correctly. Working on large programs that we recently won. Woke up at 4 am yesterday to go for a quick 1 hour run before jumping on the phone to kick off a new class of employees. Spent the day in meetings…
Travel has become a place that ACCELERATES the vortex instead of decelerates it. The fact that you can now stay “connected” during flights is horrible ;-) Planes used to be one of the only places where you could disconnect. I was reading books on parenting, and strategy and then when I was tired of those two books, I decided I wanted to reread Atlas Shrugged… nice light reading to ease the mind.
Busy times. I go from here to San Francisco to make sales calls, and home in two days.
So this morning, I was going to get up and go hike Camelback Mountain. I had 2 hours to run to Echo Canyon, hike up, hike down, and then sprint to get dressed and go to meetings.
I didn’t feel like it.
I worked for an hour or so from 4 to 5 am, and then just didn’t feel like going for a run and a hike.
Why do I feel so compelled to sprint all the time?
Why do I feel so guilty at the thought of slowing down for a few hours?
Maybe its because I am not home, so I feel like if I am going to be away from home, I should be productive. Probably not a valid answer, as I tend to want to sprint most moments during the weeks when I am home.
Maybe its because I want to make an impact and I feel a sense of urgency to make things happen.
Better answer, but part of what I want to do is not just make an impact, but ENJOY THE JOURNEY.
I realize that I am moving quickly right now.
I realize that it is a particularly exciting and busy time of my personal and professional life.
But, I need to be careful with that rationale because I have been using it for years and the accelerating seems to be increasing into a vortex.
So, this morning I went to the gym and I didn’t feel like working out So, I went for a walk and enjoyed the sunrise. And, then I went to the sauna and the Jacuzzi for 90 minutes. I had to work on relaxing because I kept “wishing I felt more productive” and “wishing I was hiking” and wondering if this was warranted.
I don’t know where all of that comes from. I think there is some small piece of me that simply believes that I don’t deserve to slow down. Not yet. I know its irrational, but there is a piece of me that feels like I haven’t accomplished enough yet to slow down. DISHARMONY. “Wishing I had accomplished more.”
That part of me, is weaker than its ever been. (good thing). More and more of me feels like I am making a contribution every day. I am in the middle of executing on our company strategy which is materially stronger today thanks to my influence. I am helping make advances in one of our divisions that desperately needs it. I am moving our needle forward in growing our company through recruiting which for whatever reason, others don’t have the time to do.
I AM making a difference every day. And, sure, I could push even harder, but I must be mindful of balance. I must WANT for better, and better MUST include better balance and enjoyment of the journey along the way.
I deserve it.
You deserve it.
We ALL deserve it.
Life is short. The journey is awesome. I love the sprint. I love everything that I am doing, and I also love to slow down here and there and not sprint to the next gate.
So, I need to adjust.
And, I can.
And, I will.
So, NEW RULES!
First, I will no longer work on Saturdays (unless there is a SPECIFIC and time sensitive deliverable that I have Monday or Tuesday of the following week that I cant finish just on Sunday).
Second, I will invest in a new alarm clock so that I will NO LONGER bring my phone into my bedroom.
Third, I will remind myself that time off is earned and appropriate and deserved, and there is NO reason to sprint through every moment.
These are small steps, but I think they will be helpful.
In the hot tub this morning, I tried meditation. I am not very good at it. I realize how quickly my mind is moving, when I am in a hot tub listening to my heart beat and 30 other thoughts are sprinting through my mind.
Two thoughts stood out clearly above all others.
Two very clear thoughts.
Number 1 was –
Stay strong, take care of your health and your body… FOR YOU… for no one else but you. Nothing makes me feel better than feeling like I am taking care of my body and it is reflective of my values and my appreciation for my health.
Make a clear commitment to live strong.
Number 2 was –
Keep your balance. Enjoy your time and your boys and your wife. Don’t give in to the vortex. You are stronger than that. You can reset your own rules. You are doing all that you want to do. Do it in a way that is full of gratitude and free of regret. Set your own pace… live your own pace… not the pace that is set for you. DO NOT allow the constant acceleration to persist. Stand up to do it and redefine it.
So, in this moment, I will…
It was a good morning, and I had lots of thougths that I would love to share…
Part of slowing down is making the time to capture the thoughts of harmony.
I will leave you with this one…
We don’t have to continue to accelerate our lives. We don’t.
And, that doesn’t mean we don’t get to participate in the wonderful tools like facebook and social media and connectedness. It just means that we have to define our own pace, and be strong enough to live to it.
Life is good.
Life is full.
And, my life is not going to continue to accelerate.
In fact, I will work on conscious and deliberate moments of deceleration.
Enjoy your day. Enjoy your moment. Find your pace.
Yours in harmony,
Nestor