Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Motivation - Slowing Down | Wisdom of the Stoics

Episode Date: March 13, 2023

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Wake Me Up is made possible thanks to the generous help of our advertisers and premium supporters. If you'd like to support Wake Me Up, listen ad-free, and get access to the entire catalog plus bonus episodes, then follow the link in the show notes to sign up for Wake Me Up Premium. Now before our episode begins, here's a quick word from our sponsors. Hey there, and welcome to Wake Me Up. As always, I'm Tyler, your host. and I'm so grateful that you're here today. This week, we're going to be talking about the art of slowing down.

We all know that slowing down has its benefits, but so often we're still caught up in that rush of life from one thing to the next, oftentimes even trying to multitask and do multiple things at once. According to stoic philosophers, rushing leads to disharmony in the mind. It also causes us to make more, more mistakes. Simply put, taking our time allows us to live a better, more high-quality life.

So we should learn to slow down, take our time, and complete tasks with purpose. In today's episode, we'll talk more about how to slow down, and that will include diving into some wisdom from the ancient Stoics on how to stop rushing through life and using that to find purpose, success, and happiness. But before we dive in, let's put slowing down into practice for just one moment. So wherever you're at, whatever you're doing, just pause. Bring awareness to yourself, your body, and your surroundings. And don't try to change anything. Simply observe. Listen to this moment. See it for what it is without trying to change it, label it, or judge it.

Now, let's take a couple of breaths. So inhale and fill all the way up. Hold at the top. Exhale, release. Once more, inhaling, being present with this breath. Hold and then exhale and let all of that air go. Great. Now, feel free to go about your morning, whatever you were doing before, or something different if that's what you like. Whatever it is you prefer to do with your mornings. And while you do

that, let's dive into this idea of slowing down. I am a big fan of stoic philosophy. And so I'm going to pull from some of that today, because it's really relevant to this topic. You see, see, the Stoics reiterated the importance of living life in accordance with nature. When we're connected to nature, we can be mindful, we can be present. Rushing takes us away from this present moment. Essentially, it's the opposite of mindfulness. What we all really need is to slow down and give ourselves permission to lean into the time and place we are currently in.

We should aim to live life in the same way we read a good book. We pay attention. We don't skim or skip ahead. We read each line one by one. And just as we do with a good book, we allow our imaginations to run wild. We give life to the words on the page. We hear the voices in dialogue.

We reflect on what we've read, and we wonder, deep in thought. It's not that we shouldn't think in life. It's just that we shouldn't be driven by our thoughts. Instead, we should be driven by the present. Just like the line you're reading right now in your favorite book. It's important to allow space like this into our own lives because it allows us to reflect and absorb

rather than filling every waking moment with some sort of distraction. The Stoic philosopher Seneca reiterated. that we don't get time back, so we have to live in the moment if we want to be free. Seneca said, life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past,

neglect the present, and fear the future. In other words, if we ignore mindfulness and the present moment, we'll perceive life as nothing but problematic. We'll experience anxiety and will live in fear and worry.

Many people live in this state the majority of the time, and so they're never able to escape the chains of their mind. By slowing down, stopping and looking around, we regain control of our lives. We can see ourselves and the world around us clearly. Slowing down also gives us the clarity of thought that we need to complete the tasks of daily life. We all know that speeding through our work

leaves us prone to mistakes. But when we work slowly and intentionally, the quality and the quantity actually improve. Now, no one is saying you're a failure if you occasionally need to rush out of the house to get to work. We all know life happens. We have deadlines and meeting times that we need to recognize. But if we spend most of our time rushing from place to place,

multitasking, and never stop, to actually live in the moment. That's when we lose control and we fall out of touch. Slowing down allows us to cherish our time, appreciate life, see the world with an open heart, and feel deeply connected to the world around us and those living in it.

So for these reasons, slowing down should be our top priority. My friend, you have a beautiful life to live. Time is truly our only limited resource. So don't rush through life. Instead, enjoy every moment. The more present you are, the longer your life will seem. Drink your coffee slowly.

Take deep breaths often. Enjoy walks and silence so that you can feel the beauty of the world around you. Learn to appreciate the little things in life. like an ant crawling along the sidewalk, a hug from a friend, or the warmth of a shower after a long day. Take your time with important tasks and try to just do one thing rather than everything at once. Solo-tasking is truly a superpower.

Listen intently when people talk to you. Let there be silence when silence is, needed. Make room in your life for stillness and contemplation. And most of all, don't expect too much from yourself all at once. You are a human being, not a human doing. When you do less and slow down, you will be more. My friend, let the world happen as it is. Be a force within the world. But don't try to force your own progress. You do not create the wave, but you can ride it when it comes. Know that your time is arriving, and the best is always yet to come. Well, that's all for this episode. I hope you're feeling inspired to slow down and enjoy the beauty of every moment in life.

I'll be back tomorrow for a meditation that will put these ideas into practice, so I hope to see you there. And until then, go out and have an absolutely fantastic day.