Slow Down and Enjoy the Ride
by Jon Gordon
They say the day we die we'll have 30 emails in our inbox, an unfinished to-do list, and voicemails we have not returned. The fact is, we'll never get it all done, no matter how much we do, so we might as well slow down and enjoy the ride. "But how can I slow down," you might say, "when I have bills to pay, projects at work to finish, kids to raise and a to-do list as long as the Great Wall of China. If I slow down won't my productivity go down the drain?"
Actually, the research says, No. People who take short breaks throughout the day have more overall accomplishments and get more done. Those who focus on energy management more than time management have more energy and are able to accomplish more in less time and take on their day with a smile instead of a frown. They are able to cruise through life and work instead of feeling like they are in rush hour traffic.
Slowing down and enjoying the ride is a combination of attitude and habits. As Joy, the Bus Driver in my new book The Energy Bus says, you only have one ride through life so you might as well enjoy it. You will never have today again. This isn't Disney World where we get as many rides as we want and we certainly don't want a fast pass. Slowing down and enjoying the ride means we get on the Energy Bus and fuel our lives with more optimism, enthusiasm, purpose, and positive energy. It means we stop, take a deep breath and savor the special moments in our life and realize that every moment is special. It means we live intentionally and create a vision for our life and then align our habits and purpose with this vision. For me it means stopping the energy bus from going 100 miles an hour to pause and have a lacrosse catch with my daughter, and read my son a book at night even after a hard day of work and rub my dog's belly and tell my wife I love her and to simply be grateful that I can do even the most basic of things such as walk and talk, write, eat, share, laugh, smile, pray, and live.
Slowing down and enjoying the ride means that even in the midst of harried deadlines, pressure, stress from work, and our desire to accomplish and succeed that we stop the energy bus for a pit stop to gas-up and recharge and renew ourselves. It means we engage in habits that energize our batteries so we take on our daily challenges with more strength, energy, skill, and focus.
When we slow down and enjoy the ride, we not only have more fun, ironically we create more success. Slowing down is one of the hardest things to do but when we do, instead of swimming against the current of life it allows us to ride some amazing energy waves and cruise through life with a smile on our face.
Action Steps
- Remind yourself each day that you only have one ride through life, so enjoy it. Print out a free Enjoy the Ride poster from www.theenergybus.com.
- Schedule one to three 10-minute breaks each day to recharge your batteries so you'll enjoy work and life more and get more done.
- Anytime you get stressed, focus on your breathing. Inhale for 3 seconds and exhale for 3 seconds. Do this 10x while repeating the words "Too Blessed to be Stressed". I have shared with the PGA Tour, FBI, and professional athletes with amazing results.
Jon Gordon is a leading authority on developing positive, engaged people, leaders, businesses, schools, and teams and the author of the international best seller The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy. He'll share his wonderful insights at the Conference in a panel entitled Managing Stress. Learn more about Jon at www.TheEnergyBus.com
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