Live Like You Are on Vacation Every Day!

It seems like everything you hear on TV, in the news and ads tell you to hurry up, act now, don’t wait, limited time offer, items running low, buy now! All this media frenzy just stirs up a big pot of urgency and aren’t our lives crazy enough without adding to it by listening and reacting to them?

My mind has always run on high. I think quickly, make decisions fast and I can process vast amounts of information in a short span of time. However, this “gift” is a double-edged sword; it also means when I worry, I do it to an extreme obsessive degree. My mind doesn’t slow down for sleep, and often I feel wound up when I want to relax. At least that is how I used to be…

What Am I Missing?

One of the things that drove my energy coach crazy is my speed. I cannot even count the number of times she told me to “slow down.” Not just with my speaking but with my thoughts. She was afraid I was missing a lot by running so fast.

I started thinking about it, and at first I I defended my right to think and process quickly. But I later realized running at such a high speed, made me feel overwhelmed when things got crazy at work and stressed when too many speeding thoughts went through my mind. I began to wonder, what am I missing?

Running on Empty

I used to get an average of 85+ emails a day. Many of them were spam, but a lot of them required responses. In addition to that, I had maintenance work, and web projects piled on that seemed to go nowhere. So I would be ramped up ready to dig in, and my clients would go silent for weeks. All of this frustrated me, and I used to feel so miserable I would often cry during my workday.

Due to the nature of my work, everything had a sense of urgency to it. Everyone wanted everything done immediately, as though it was a life and death emergency. I had so much work, and it had to be done so fast, that I ended up feeling exhausted too early in the day and resentful of my clients. I hated my job so much, but that was only part of it.

Urgency Isn’t Healthy

I used to jump out of bed at 6 a.m. and sprint through my day completing all personal and work items until nighttime when I would be exhausted and angry. I worked too hard, too many hours for too little money and it just seemed wrong. That level of urgency sustained over time just isn’t healthy, so I decided to change it.

I now work about 3-5 hours a day, I have plenty of time to rest, play, go places with my daughter, take care of home chores, make lovely meals and do whatever I want. Each day feels light, easy-breezy and without a trace of urgency.

How Did I Do It?

I changed everything about my life, including my racing mind. First, I crafted a vision statement and meditated a lot on the subject of slowing ME down and allowing me to flow with the day.

Then I minimized my life and belongings, so I have fewer things to maintain.

Finally, I changed my job. I gained well-paying writing contracts and dumped my web work so now I get about 2-3 emails a day. The rest of the day I spend doing what I want, happy, free and relaxed. I take meditation breaks whenever I want and my day moves at a comfortable pace.

The Extreme Benefits of Slowing Down Your Life

I don’t watch any news or get caught up in what the weatherman is saying to scare us. Because of this, my life is peaceful, joyful and so much slower. I calmed my mind down, and now my experience matches that pace.

It’s like a ripple effect for me. Now that I have so much time, and I am slowed down, I can hear my inner voice guiding me towards even more happiness, abundance, opportunities, and better life choices. Before, with my mind racing, I couldn’t even hear that voice. Now it is the dominant voice in my head. What a gift!!! The more mindful I am, the better my life gets.

This Sounds Too Simple, Right?

Do you get up and run through your day, so you don’t even remember what you did, you ate or experienced? You can change that if you want. It is totally possible.

I know what you are thinking, I can’t do this; I have a family, a household to run, a stressful job. Living like I am on vacation sounds great, but how the heck do I do that?

Well, recently my daughter moved back, and I added another family pet so now my house is a bit crazy, and I am the sole breadwinner again, supporting me, our house, two pets and my adult daughter. Still, I am living an abundant life, working less and earning more. For many years I have held the belief that I had to work hard, long hours to make enough money. I was wrong, but it stayed true until I changed those beliefs.

It may sound too simple and unattainable, but it is not. By changing the INSIDE you, and your beliefs about how life has to be and how much urgency you have to deal with, your real life changes automatically. You are guided towards the change you need to make to slow down, get rid of, and live a more peaceful life.