BREATHE ... slow has a purpose.

Over the past few weeks I've been thinking about the power of slowing down. My craft, the thing that I actually do with my hands in order to make a living, is  slow. I should be aware that "slow" can be powerful and purposeful. 

​Every so often (read often), even in small business, you can find yourself buckled under a hefty pile of deadlines, expectations, excitement, apprehension and adrenaline. It's a weird and wonderful mix of baggage that can leave you teetering under it's weight.

These feelings, by the way, are not exclusive to newbies.  In fact, if you've been doing whatever it is that you do each and every day for a super-long time and feel none of these things you may want to give yourself a pinch to be sure that you haven't fallen asleep at the wheel.

So a little adrenaline-elixir can be an excellent thing. True. But lately I seem to have lost sight of the quiet space which I need to make sense of it all. I forgot, for a moment, that without slowing down I get really, really bad at putting things into perspective, prioritizing, and being effective.

Slow is what I do! I make things. With my hands! For a living! How could I have forgotten to slow down?
Maybe because slow is more of a practice than a principal.  Something that I need to take part in rather than intellectualize.
Maybe we all  just need to walk on the beach. Pick up an instrument and plunk away. Make something with our hands. Bake a loaf of bread. Spend time with a child. Spend time with your dog.  We know this. We just need to do it.

What do you do to slow down? 


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