Love this :) I am at my best when I am calm, poised, deliberate, and in-the-flow.
Time is an illusion. There’s no such thing as the past or future. You may think about such things, but all that is done in the present.
Society creates arbitrary pressure. It’s why an unemployed 30-year-old feels he’s “behind”. It’s why a 40-year-old thinks she’s “old”. You’re not late. You’re not behind. You’re living at your own pace.
I appreciate this post. I used to think being fast means productive, but for me, it meant if I do things quickly, I wouldn’t have time to feel the uncomfortable feeling that I feel within myself, so it was a form of escape for me.
I’ve recently learned that stillness is the key, and sometimes it takes time for intuition to come up, and maybe we’re afraid to feel, but I’m learning the art of slowness to truly experience life and feelings that comes up.
& now I understand it when they say good things takes time :)
In a very eerie, parallel universe kind of way, I published a piece discussing my experience with slowness at roughly the same exact time you published this :)
And while my feelings about slowness are quite similar to yours, my experience with slowness is quite opposite. My natural tendency is to move slowly, but I’ve resisted it my whole life and it’s only recently I’ve been interested in reconsidering it as a superpower.
I love moving slowly. It does exactly what you said: gives me a chance to listen to the signals of my heart, mind, and body.
One cautionary note I’d add is with regards to perfectionism: sometimes my slowness can lead to overthinking in the pursuit of perfectionism, which is quite paralyzing and uncomfortable. It causes me to get further from my truth, confused by what’s my intuition and what’s fluff.
Anyway, thank you for weaving these thoughts together! Such an important message. Here for the slow movement 🫶🏻
This reminds me of a saying a lot of athletes say as they go deeper into their careers, gain more reps & experience - "the game slows down for me" ; it's apt that this applies to all things in life
“And what could be more lovely than a life centered around the things that make us feel especially alive?” You are such a stud Isabel. Your pieces give some of the best advice that I truly take to heart
enjoyed reading your take on being in the moment and how it affects our perception of time, I also wrote about flow <> time from a slightly different angle: https://gameofone.substack.com/p/29-finding-flow
Love this :) I am at my best when I am calm, poised, deliberate, and in-the-flow.
Time is an illusion. There’s no such thing as the past or future. You may think about such things, but all that is done in the present.
Society creates arbitrary pressure. It’s why an unemployed 30-year-old feels he’s “behind”. It’s why a 40-year-old thinks she’s “old”. You’re not late. You’re not behind. You’re living at your own pace.
I appreciate this post. I used to think being fast means productive, but for me, it meant if I do things quickly, I wouldn’t have time to feel the uncomfortable feeling that I feel within myself, so it was a form of escape for me.
I’ve recently learned that stillness is the key, and sometimes it takes time for intuition to come up, and maybe we’re afraid to feel, but I’m learning the art of slowness to truly experience life and feelings that comes up.
& now I understand it when they say good things takes time :)
Awesome piece.
In a very eerie, parallel universe kind of way, I published a piece discussing my experience with slowness at roughly the same exact time you published this :)
And while my feelings about slowness are quite similar to yours, my experience with slowness is quite opposite. My natural tendency is to move slowly, but I’ve resisted it my whole life and it’s only recently I’ve been interested in reconsidering it as a superpower.
I love moving slowly. It does exactly what you said: gives me a chance to listen to the signals of my heart, mind, and body.
One cautionary note I’d add is with regards to perfectionism: sometimes my slowness can lead to overthinking in the pursuit of perfectionism, which is quite paralyzing and uncomfortable. It causes me to get further from my truth, confused by what’s my intuition and what’s fluff.
Anyway, thank you for weaving these thoughts together! Such an important message. Here for the slow movement 🫶🏻
This reminds me of a saying a lot of athletes say as they go deeper into their careers, gain more reps & experience - "the game slows down for me" ; it's apt that this applies to all things in life
so true
Isabel, thank you for this. "Juicy slowness" is exactly what I need right now. And, of course, your beautiful prose is always a wonderful read.
“And what could be more lovely than a life centered around the things that make us feel especially alive?” You are such a stud Isabel. Your pieces give some of the best advice that I truly take to heart
Thank you for your beautiful writing and sharing a wonderful perspective.
Dear Isabel
“If she could just slow down, all of her hard work would come to fruition,” they’d say.
What wisdom.
Thank you for sharing this beautifully written post with us.
Humbly,
oh this was amazing. thank you for writing! here’s to more slowness & presence. 🥂
🙏
Loved this piece! Wrote a personal essay on the exact same topic recently: https://mananh.substack.com/p/in-praise-of-the-slow-walkers-of
enjoyed reading your take on being in the moment and how it affects our perception of time, I also wrote about flow <> time from a slightly different angle: https://gameofone.substack.com/p/29-finding-flow
a very precious reminder. thank you.