It was such a simple thing—I was putting water into my hot water pot.
And yet, I found myself pushing on the handle, hard, as if that would somehow make the water come out faster. It was totally subconscious. I have no idea how many years I’ve been doing this—pushing, hurrying, rushing—without even noticing.
But in that moment, I did notice. And it was shocking.
It instantly made me reflect: where else am I trying to speed through life?
We’ve all done it—tapped the steering wheel at a red light to try to “will” it green, scarfed down fast food so we could move on to the next task, or tried to multitask a dozen things at once. We’ve all been caught in the race.
But life is not meant to be raced through.
It’s meant to be enjoyed. Savored. Lived.
That old cliché, “Stop and smell the roses,” was spot on. But it’s not just about roses—it’s about the whole garden of life.
You know who really understands this? Horses.
Sure, mine sometimes race around the pasture, but most of the time, they’re just... chill. Grazing. Resting. Breathing. They wouldn’t care one bit how fast the water goes into the hot water pot.
The big question: How do I slow down and still accomplish everything?
What happened next surprised me.
I did slow down. I let the tension melt from my body. I relaxed.
And then... I accomplished more. I felt energized instead of drained. Calm instead of chaotic.
We don’t realize how much energy we waste living in stress mode. That same energy, when freed, can be used to actually live our life.
A Few Keys to Slowing Down:
- Notice what stresses you out. Write them down. Awareness is the first step.
- Tune into your body. Where do you feel tension? Scrunch up your muscles and then release them. Do this a few times—it feels amazing.
- Practice what we teach our horses. When our horses are stressed, we notice. We help them relax. Let’s turn that same care toward ourselves.
You don’t have to race through life to get things done. In fact, slowing down might just be the secret to doing it all—with more joy, more peace, and a lot less stress.
Check out my podcast if you want to hear my thoughts on this subject in "Permission
to Go Slow", Episode 109 of Turn Riding Fear Around.
