Slow down: A lesson in baby steps
There’s nothing like an injury to reacquaint you with your limits. I recently injured my little toe on my left foot. Such a small thing.
And yet that small thing bled profusely, swelled up and turned a deep maroon. It hurt to wear shoes, so I hobbled along in flip-flops.
Moving at my usual pace (fast, very fast) became agonising. I found myself limp-running the buggy through the park to my daughter’s childminder. My racing mind tried to make up for the pace my feet couldn’t keep.
I cursed myself, my foot and the universe. Hot waves of frustration rose up through my chest and throat, and tears sprang to my eyes...
I stopped, feeling flushed and furious.
I breathed in. I allowed the trees and birdsong to soothe me.
And in that moment, I remembered a friend telling sharing with me the best travel advice he had ever received…
If in doubt, slow down.When you’ve missed the bus and the next one isn’t for two days, slow down. You can rail against it and burn yourself up to no effect. OR you can adjust your expectations and embrace the pace that life is going to go at regardless.
Photo by julio andres rosario ortiz on Unsplash
A habitual part of me rails against slowing down…
...The part of me that is proud to spin many plates at high velocity.
...The part of me that thinks a catastrophe will happen if I don’t think, talk, move at speed.
...And then comes the judgment - ‘What will people think of me if I don’t spin these plates?’ ‘How will I live myself?’
The cultures and systems we live in have a lot to answer for, rolling us forward in a speeding wheel of commitments and expectations.
But here comes another part...
This part of me knows that slowing down is a practice that helps me find my ground again. In other words, it connects me with my inner knowing that refuses to be rushed.
It is also the part of me that thrills at walking hand in hand with my toddling daughter. Taking my own baby steps alongside hers, sharing in her wonder, discovery and enjoyment.
'Ah,’ I thought to myself, ‘For the first time in my life, I get what they mean by baby steps.'
The gifts of slow
Once we slow our pace, we can cultivate...
Self awareness:
Notice what we’re participating in and its toll on us
Recognise our physical needs
Listen to our intuition
Practice:
Breathe
Shake out our bodies
Set our boundaries
Community:
Think aloud with someone we trust
Make enabling requests of others
Give permission to those we lead and work with to slow down, too
So I'm practising embracing the baby steps. Literally.
Once a day I hold my daughter’s hand and walk at her pace for a while. Keeping in step with her once a day reminds me of all that I miss when I race around.
I am learning that with practice, I can increasingly choose to slow down at any time.
The other day, I stuck a post-it to my monitor:
Because this stuff takes practice. And we can all use a little reminding sometimes.
Clients often come to me wanting to slow down, but not knowing how. Especially when the organisations they work for pride themselves on moving fast.
I support clients to set sustainable and intentional pace in their leadership, whether to cultivate stronger decision-making, deeper patience with others, or a better work-life balance.
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