I’ll start with a disclaimer…most of what I write, I write for myself haha! I’m terrible about slowing down.
I always want to get things done quickly…and I also want things done perfectly. It’s contradictory, I know…but it’s my real life haha
When I look back on situations I rushed through, I realize that I could have slowed down. For instance, when I first moved to the island, I was crazy about getting all of my furniture designed and made right away. I could have relaxed and taken it slower…it wouldn’t have changed much about the result. But when I think back to the situation, I know that I couldn’t have been made to understand that. As a result of my rush, lack of language skills (I knew very little Creole back then), and the resulting miscommunication, some mistakes were made. They were minor…but one of my headboards was made to the wrong height specification (not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things), and 80% of the furniture was not coated with a sealant (I fixed it later by paying carpenter to come out and paint everything…it all dried on my balcony).
And now, as I work on my book, I get consumed with finishing edits as quickly as possible. So, I continue working late at night, when my attention is not at 100%. I know for a fact that I’ve made mistakes while fixing other mistakes. And even though I know I should slow down, it’s just not in my nature.
But, sometimes I should. When we slow down, we have a chance to look at things objectively. Instead of responding with our gut reaction, we give ourselves more time to consider the situation from different angles and make decisions that are based more on logic. We can consider other inputs and calmly reflect on things.
Even though it sometimes seems that something has to be done right away, I don’t believe that is always true. We pressure ourselves into thinking something must be done immediately or we’ll miss an opportunity. But, sometimes, the truth is that perhaps the timing didn’t work out because there was an opportunity better suited for us that we were meant to have.
There are no right answers, but I feel inspired to share the message to take things slow and know that you will get to the place you were meant to go…at exactly the time you were meant to get there. All is well.
Namaste.
love,
Photo source: Out of the mud by dannety