10 Lessons, 100 Discoveries: #8 – Slowing Down

Are you ready for a secret? Promise not to tell anyone? Okay, here goes… don’t tell… I’m naive and still have many life lessons ahead of me, both big and small. In essence, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries is actually 100 lessons. But, this project of 10 lessons is about ones that hit me over the head, ones that maybe others already know and ones that will impact my life on a semi-daily basis. You can see all 10 Lessons here and the entire project here. Enjoy the learnings, I am!

When people come back from Europe, they talk about the gorgeous sites, the incredible food and the culture. But, for me, my biggest takeaway from Europe was the pace of life. For me, slowing down and not rushing to the end destination is tough. While Europe certainly helped, it’s a tough mindset to keep constant (at least for me). I find myself always trying to speed things up.

Six years ago, I took a cross country road trip and rushed through the drive as quickly as possible. I think I barely even stopped to enjoy the Grand Canyon. After arriving at my destination, I realized that the rush wasn’t worth it. I vowed that on my next road trip (whenever that may be) I wouldn’t rush to my destination.

On my latest road trip, I didn’t rush. I stopped at whatever roadside attractions I wanted to. I took a morning and went to a Celtic Festival and Yoga Rocks the Park when I stopped in Denver, Colorado. Both were fun, relaxing and great experiences. They made the road trip that much more rich and memorable. The best part? I got to my destination, relaxed, not too sore and ready to take on the day. The lesson? Slowing down only had upsides; no downsides. Slowing down didn’t negatively impact my timeline. Slowing down provided me with memories and stories that will last a lifetime. And my favorite lesson? Sometimes, when you slow down you really do get ahead.

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