I love to-do lists, and have always been an over-achiever, trying to squeeze out more from time than time would have to give. Sometimes, such productivity can be a good thing, but more often than not, we are only short-changing ourselves from something even richer than a check-list can provide. In the midst of doing too many things we can forget what in life is really important.
Slowing down is not in my nature. You can ask any coach I’ve ever had, or any friend who knows how quickly I pee — I tend to have two speeds: on and off. I love to-do lists, but the truth of the matter is that the only thing we have to do on a daily basis is to love ourselves, to love others, and to be ourselves. Once you do these things everything else will fall into place.
This weekend I got pulled over for failure to stop at a stop sign. I deserved it. With no traffic or car in sight, I tried to roll through an exit ramp stop sign because I was in a rush to get home. An $100 ticket and thirty minutes later, I finally made it home. It was a much needed reminder that I can’t live at “on” speed all the time.
Be thankful for the “opportunities” of life that force you to slow down. They are for your own good, even if you have to pay for the opportunities as I did with my ticket.