Are you late? Sometimes? Or always? That was me – always late! Rushing, hurrying, frantic and on the go, go, go.
My old habit was to go faster, thinking that I could hurry to make up for lost time. But that never worked.
One day, I was sick and tired of living with the pressure, trying to squeeze one more thing into an already packed day. So these are 2 of the things I did to change that.
1. Slow down
As it turns out, slowing down helped me to stop being late.
When you slow down, you are giving your body the message that being calm is your normal way of life. You are teaching yourself to stay grounded and giving yourself the opportunity to enjoy more of each day.
Rolling through the stop sign, not quite stopping all the way? That is your reminder to slow down.
When you are “in a hurry” you are not “in the moment.”
Slowing down helps you stay present, get grounded and enjoy being in the moment.
Slowing down becomes easier when you have a daily meditation practice.
2. Get up early
OK, this goes completely against my natural inclination! But having trained myself to get up a bit earlier has made all the difference in the world.
Since everyone in our household is on a different afternoon and evening schedule, breakfast is one of our main family meals. We have a full hot breakfast every school morning together.
Easy to do? Not at first, but worth it. Once you get in the habit, it really is not so hard.
Getting up early gives you time for a daily meditation and the extra time you need to get ready for your day free of harried panic and rush.
One morning a week, my teenage daughter Talia and I get out of the house early for coffee and hot chocolate. We go to a tiny cafe by her school and sit at our favorite table. Because it is early, the light is barely streaming in from outside.
Sometimes she does homework and I prep my day. Sometimes we just sit and talk. I always get a small extra dry espresso and convince her to give me a spoonful of her rich hot chocolate – it makes a perfect mocha.
We both look forward to this morning each week and I treasure these moments.
Start today
You can start today bringing more calm into your life and enjoying each moment by slowing down even for a few minutes. And go to bed a bit earlier so tomorrow you can get a fresh start on the day.
Enjoy!
Kathleen