The Art of Slowing Down (And Why I Stopped Planning My Life)
Every morning I wake up thinking the same thing: “Today is the day I am going to do something valuable.”
I started thinking about all the things I want to do. I tell myself I need to do this. I need to do that. I want to become a better version of myself. By the end of the day, I feel like I have done anything. It is like I am stuck in a cycle of planning for the future. It never works out. For a time, I thought this was just my problem.
I thought I was the one who felt this way. Lately, I have been trying not to plan so much. When my friends see me relaxing, they tell me I should be doing something. They say, “You are not doing anything. Time is important.”
I know time is important.. I have learned that it is better to do things slowly than to rush and mess them up.
The Exam Reality Check: Why Rushing Always Backfires
When I try to rush, everything gets messed up. Let me tell you about my exams. I used to study for my exams at the last moment. I would stay up all night. Try to learn everything.. I would always feel tired and stressed out.. I would often fail.
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Then I tried a different approach. I took my time. Studied slowly. I did not. I did not stress out. When I took the exam, I passed.This taught me that when you slow down, things actually work out.
The Day the Universe Played a Prank on Me
Something happened to me and my friend. It still gives me the chills.We were sitting at a cafe. My friend had a pack of cigarettes. We were talking about how we wanted to quit smoking. Then a lady came up to us. Asked if we had a spare cigarette.We gave her the pack. Told her to keep it. We wanted to help her out. We also wanted to quit smoking. 20 minutes later, we were walking down the street. A guy came up to us. Asked for a lighter. We gave him the lighter. Then he gave us a cigarette. It was weird because it was the kind of cigarette we had just given away. It felt like the universe was playing a trick on us.
My New Philosophy: Chill
This experience taught me that life is unpredictable. You can plan everything. Things will still not go as planned.
So I have learned to relax and take things slowly. I do not overthink the future because I know I cannot control it.
I do not rush because I know it will not work out.
I try to help people when I can because I know it will come back to me.
I stay calm because I know that whatever is going to happen will happen.
I just take it one day at a time. Let life unfold.
