Slow Down

It may sound nuts, but slowing down may be the secret to your success.

“Doing more with less.”

“Pick up the pace.”

“Work faster.”

“Every day, I’m hustlin.’”

Do these quotes sound familiar?

Our social media world sees entrepreneurs and influencers pushing the benefits of jostling several tasks and long hours. Nowadays, highlighting a busy lifestyle, or portraying a lifestyle filled with hustle, has become more important than producing outcomes. I’m not bragging here, but when I started my various business ventures, I logged too many hours and overworked myself. Some weeks I worked 80 to 90 hours. I made the error of mistaking hustle for productivity and, at times, misjudged work for results. In no way was I practicing mindfulness.

I placed the work above celebrating small successes, canceled fun trips, and time with friends and family. I went through each day feeling like I would be more successful if I worked harder and logged more hours. I was wrong, and after creating healthy habits resulting in a significant weight loss, I lost my way and gained it all back by falling into my old ways. The remedy to constantly pushing harder and harder is to slow down. It may seem odd, but the difference between success and failure can be slowing down or between prospering and burning out. As we watch life coaches and influencers hype the hurried lifestyle on social media, leaders who continually create results deep down know that slowing down leads to building the foundation for success. Below are four reasons how slowing down can help kickstart success, appreciate a sense of fulfillment, and create the lifestyle you chose.

1. Clarity.

A hectic lifestyle can aim you in the wrong direction. Repeatedly we see colleagues working themselves to the bone, speeding down a road that will never lead to success.

By slowing down, you are making the necessary time for clarity. Schedule one hour with yourself each week. Think about your objectives and examine the challenges and opportunities right in front of you. What is working, what is not, and where can you better focus your energy for the next few days until your next check-in.

2. Do not sacrifice your health.

It is pretty simple; you can’t create your dream lifestyle if you cannot perform. In my case, my weight gain could have been worse. Was a rapid-paced lifestyle worth it to sacrifice my health? No, never.

To succeed, we must find time to respect what our mind, body, and spirit need to stay and maintain our health. There are 24 hours a day. Through concentrated efforts, you can find the time to exercise, cook healthy meals, meditate etc.

Ex. On average, we spend over an hour daily on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms. This time can be better spent on something healthy and productive. We can all be the World Champion of making excuses. Build your healthy habits, whatever they may be, to give yourself the attention your mind and body deserve.

3. Manage your emotions.

Many of us fail to tap into the advantages of our emotions. Emotions provide a look into who outside stimuli trigger our thinking. Those that seek and earn success are mindful of and manage their feelings. They do not allow them to result in destructive behavior or adverse action.

Slowing down allows us to feel the emotions we are experiencing and describe them. By doing so, you can begin to process and will enable them to direct you to a healthy response. Do not shy away from anger, as it can be a good emotion. Anger informs you that something is afoot, and if you can harness your anger, it can give you the energy to replace it.

When you move in different directions by working yourself to the brink, inconsistency and unpredictability will allow anger to get the best of you. The harmful effects of anger can negate your progress and hold you back from realizing success. Slowing down helps you control emotions into positive actions that will serve you well overall.

4. Sound decision-making.

One unwise decision can derail all the arduous work you have invested. Simply put, if you run with the “pedal to the metal,” your engine will eventually overheat and break down.

Slowing down allows for rest, relaxation, and reducing stress. When your mind is not running a million miles an hour, it becomes accessible and clear to soak up information, evaluate circumstances, and make sound decisions. This approach will help you work more effectively, with greater clarity, faster, and more enjoyment.

How might you invest more time and energy into slowing down? Think about the advantages outlined above and focus on one step to help bring more balance into your everyday life. Test one out, see how it goes, and then try another. As someone who hustled himself into an unhealthy condition, I can tell you from firsthand experience that life is much more enjoyable when you find a healthy balance.