note to self.

Slow Down“Slow Down” via The Wheatfield
I feel like I’m always moving at about 100 mph.  I am constantly thinking about what’s next – I cruise through my to do list and move on.  I realized last week that I had two fortune cookie’s hanging up in my cubicle at work; both mentioning patience.  Throw that onto the fact that I also have “patience” and “remember to breathe” tattooed on me, plus various artwork with phrases like “keep calm and carry on” and I think you’ve got a pretty good idea of what I am constantly trying to remind myself of.  
Slowing down has always seemed impossible – it just feels completely wrong.  I have gotten so used to this fast paced, constantly changing lifestyle that when things slow down I’m instantly bored and restless.  I instantly begin to crave something new and search for things to take on to fill my plate and keep me satisfied.
I think a big part of this feeling has to do with the fact that we’re all so busy these days.  We grow up participating in multiple sports, clubs and activities.  We get a car, we start working part-time while going to school.  Once we’re done with school we spend forty hours a week behind a desk while trying to cram all of the things we actually enjoy doing into every free hour we have left.  That’s just the way it goes.
But what can we do about this?  How do we break out of this routine and slow down?  Is this even possible?  I’m starting to believe that it’s not really about slowing down, but learning to not get frazzled when things don’t go according to plan.  I think that doing it all is totally possible as long as you don’t let the bumps along the way get you down.  It’s about constantly being aware – of what you have, of what you’d like to achieve next, of what you can do to make those things happen.  I think that there’s nothing wrong with wanting more – it’s just a matter of always finding those little things and taking the time to realize their effect on you and your happiness.