Welcome back, and happy September! 😊 I hope you all enjoyed a nice long holiday weekend and had some time to enjoy the last precious days of Summer! As we embark into a new season and wrap up our goals for Q3, I wanted to take a moment to share a recent experience I had while on vacation last month. Before I left, one of my colleagues encouraged me to not only enjoy it, but to do all sorts of LIVING between now and then. What I took this to mean was to have the courage to slow down, to be present and mindful in the moment. Confession: I am not very good at this. I am always on to the next and the next and the next thing. Work hard, accomplish, hopefully feel good or great about it, and move on to more. Work obsessed, and action driven. Slowing down IS difficult. I do enjoy and thrive in the work. However, in all of it, I didn’t realize the things I was missing OUTSIDE of work until a couple of weeks ago during my time away.
Nature took over…literally. There I was in Kaua`i, Hawaii, standing at the lookout point of Mount Wai’ Ale’ Ale’, (pictured above) which is the second highest point on the island, and felt the stillness, enveloped in the most beautiful place I had ever seen. The tears began to flow almost instantly. (Ironic, because the name of the mountain means “overflowing water”.) I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to run to the next thing. I could have stayed for hours just absorbing every color, every shade of lush green, every mountain amidst the clouds and blue sky. This was only a pit stop as we were on our way to a tubing adventure through the rain forests; but for the first time in a long time, I didn’t care in those moments what was next. I was perfectly content to just simply BE where I was in the moment, still, silent, and present, taking in the art of nature that surrounded me.
Now more than ever, I realize that when we can take the time and slow down, it is a gift. It provides gives us the ability to recharge and make our connections with others stronger and more meaningful. Additionally, if we can find ways to adopt this practice into our daily lives, it allows us the space and stillness to enjoy the clarity it provides and inevitably make better decisions as a result.
Check out the article, “The Underrated Gift of Slowing Down” by Anita Coltuneac, (Click here to read) who discusses tips on creating a meaningful and intentional life by balancing productivity, avoiding burnout and slowing down.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this, any tips and best practices of how you find this balance for yourself. Please add them in the comments section below.
Wishing you all a Better We, Better Week! 😊
Lori Beth
