How to Break Free From a Speed-Demon Mindset

“Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you.” – John De Paola

Speed Demon Peloton

While visiting my daughter last week in Los Angeles, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try out her Peloton treadmill. Having heard great things about the Peloton experience, I was looking forward to my morning cardio session.

A few minutes into the workout, my shoelace came untied. As I lifted my leg to the bar to re-tie it, my foot accidentally bumped the speed knob forward. The treadmill sped up from an easy warm-up tempo to a full-throttle speed-demon pace. Fortunately for me, I was able to adjust the knob before I became one of those funny gym causality videos; woman flying off the treadmill.

Race against the Clock Mentality

My experience that morning aptly describes the pace of our modern life; a world stuck in fast-forward.

We are obsessed with hurriedness; not only are we trying to do everything faster… we also try to cram more and more into our day.

A fast-paced lifestyle may start out as a habit but it quickly, no pun intended, turns into a dangerous mindset. Unfortunately, people let their pace define them and it becomes who they are.

This is an unsafe place to live. It is a lifestyle with alarming consequences waiting to happen; like a hidden bomb slowing counting down to detonate.

Sadly, most choose to do this to themselves.

Cost of Speed

What is this race against the clock mentality costing you?

Being busy, similar to an addiction, takes a huge toll on your life. It adversely impacts your health, your relationships, your work, and the environment in which you live.

Those who are addictively busy, are oblivious to the slow yet seemingly silent warning signs of their obsession; stress, anxiety, burnout, and overwhelm. People who move at the speed of light classify everything as urgent and proudly display their busyness as a badge of honor. Does this speed-demon sound familiar? It sure did for me. I know… I used to be one.

In this blog post, I will give you 3 pertinent tools to help you adjust your speed knob and start living a happier, healthier, and more productive life.

“Everyone these days wants to know how to slow down, but they want to know how to slow down really quickly.” – Carl Honore

Three Ways to Adjust Your Speed

1. Identify your Ideal Pace

Wouldn’t it be great if your life mimicked an individualized, highly calibrated Peloton workout? Well, it can. You can design your own personalized pace in life to accomplish everything you want and still keep your health and wellbeing a priority.

When identifying your ideal pace, take a lesson from a well-designed cardio workout. A winning interval workout includes the following:

Warm-up
Medium intensity
High intensity
Power surge
Recovery

Take note that the high intensity and power surge settings only last a few seconds and are always followed by a time of recovery.

Here’s where most people get it all wrong and fall into the speed-demon trap. They stay in the high intensity and power surge tempo and pay handsomely for that error.

Monitor your energy levels and be aware of spending too much time in those two areas. Always prioritize recovery.

2. Intentionally Carve out Time to Decompress

This sounds like a no brainer but do you carve out time to decompress from your day?

Whether it is on your commute home or before you go to bed, leaning to intentionally slow down at the right moments will help you feel more rested, less stressed and positively affects the people around you. Whether you know it or not, your high-speed negatively impacts those around you.

3. Prioritize “To Be” Lists

Those who have strong task-oriented skills excel at completing projects and getting the job done but many times it comes at a huge personal cost. Most highly driven, task-oriented individuals usually lack in people skills. They are so focused on thriving on busy that they are blind to the effects that their personality/behavior has on those around them.

In addition to that, most fail to recognize their true identity. They become so immersed in their tasks that they rarely know who they are let alone who they want to become. Their identity is wrapped in their strong task skills; they revel in how well they do things rarely recognizing all the people they mow down along the way.

One solution to counter this issue is to focus on a character trait you recognize that you’d like to enhance. Look at your life and make a strong assessment; do you want to be kinder, more patient, braver, or connect better with those around you?

Pick one trait and practice developing that trait daily. This action alone will help you be a better person, friend, and leader.

4. Finding your Inner Tortoise

Are you living your life or just racing through it?

The voice of the Global Slow Movement, Carl Honore, uses the phrase, finding your inner tortoise to describe putting the brakes on life.

By finding your inner tortoise, you can build richer relationships while improving your productivity and living a happier, healthier and more productive life.

Keep believing,
Rita

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Rita Hudgens

Leadership and Personal Development Coach at Transform University

Rita is a Performance Improvement Coach. Her mission is simple; she helps entrepreneurs, achievers, and leaders make positive changes in their behavior. She empowers her clients so they are more in control of their present which in turn gives them a greater sense of self-confidence. She creates a safe environment for them and builds on their values, passions and strengths so that they can achieve their personal and professional goals.

Rita helps her clients:
• Embrace their true potential
• Change their limiting beliefs/thoughts
• Create Purpose
• Live Empowered, Confident, and Successful Lives

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