In a fast-changing world, we often find ourselves living a fast-paced life. Time flies, and when we look back we often wonder where it went. The physical quantum of time obviously has not changed, but our thoughts are moving at such a high frequency that we get the feeling of always being short of time. We do lots of things at a fast pace to get the most out of life. However, the corollary may well be true; if we slow down, we will start seeing and experiencing things we otherwise may have missed.

Slowing down is not compromising our ambitions and plans. It just allows us to live life with more depth, making our journey more enjoyable, insightful, and often with lesser friction and lesser mistakes.

When we start noticing the strengths, commitment, and care the people around us carry, we become less judgmental and the quality of our relations improves. Slowing down builds our appreciation.

When we take a step back and look at the hardship that millions go through, we realise how much is already in place for us, and how much more we can do for others. Slowing down builds our gratitude and compassion.

When we move from acting automatically to acting consciously, we become aware of our own thought patterns and behavior, helping us bring about the much-needed change we may have missed all along. Slowing down builds our awareness.

When we allow the time and space to reflect on issues we are dealing with rather than acting in haste and impulsively, we gain deeper and newer insights that may well change the course of our future. Slowing down gives us guidance.

When we take the time to not just look at things and keep moving on, but actually see things with their nuances, details, and subtle beauty, we start enjoying and experiencing the same things very differently. Slowing down builds our sensitivity.

Enjoying life is like enjoying a good meal. It cannot be gulped and swallowed, it needs to be tasted, chewed, and digested. The hidden beauty of life will only come to us when we make ourselves fully available and make time. A beautiful painting will not speak to us if we pass it in a few seconds, only wanting to tick off the number of galleries we have visited. Sometimes we need to slow down and allow experiences to come to us.

And when we become more deliberate, conscious, and mindful rather than hasty and always preoccupied, we may discover the beautiful paradox of life – sometimes the slower we go, the faster we reach.

(Picture – A variety of a lily, Vancouver botanical garden)