School Zones and Life - 7 Steps to Help You Slow Down
Posted on November 18, 2009 12:00:00am, by Gerrianne Clare
Have you ever noticed how much more you see when you slow down for a School zone?
When ever I follow the rules and slow right down, I am amazed at how much more I see.
I notice the children playing in the school yard. I notice the maroon painted front door, I notice the beautiful blue sky and I notice the beauty around me. I become conscious of my surroundings and appreciate what is going on around me.
This is definitely a different feeling from the racing tension I get when I spend my time thinking about what is next on my list or worrying about everything I need to do.
When we spend our time racing to get to where we need to get to next, focusing on the destination rather than the journey, it is amazing how much we miss along the way.
If you are interested in slowing down, you are tired of feeling like you are constantly racing and you feel as if you are not appreciating life at all, try taking the following steps:
1 – Take a deep intentional breath
2- Ask yourself -What is my goal for the next hour or two? Define a segment of time and write down your goal.
3 – What do you need to do to accomplish your goal –Outline and prioritize steps, write them down (this makes them tangible and easier to remember). This process may take 2-5 minutes and saves valuable energy.
4 -Ask yourself – HOW DO I WANT TO FEEL WHILE I AM WORKING ON THIS GOAL - Set the intention that you be present, focused, clear and efficient. This is easier to do when you set the intention for this period of time i.e. one hour rather than a whole day.
5- Start working on the steps, breathing and focusing on what you have set out to accomplish – staying in the moment
6 – About 5 minutes before the end of the segment of time (at 55 minutes – set a timer) decide whether to carry on for longer or to stop working on the goal and write out what you need to do next time you work on it.
7- Take a deep intentional breath and acknowledge yourself for the focused, clear, efficient work that you did the previous hour.
If you find that you not as focused as you had wished, tell myself the truth and try to be gentle on yourself and celebrate what you did accomplish.
In reality I do this about 80% of the time and it works marvelously. I try to be more intentional with my time because the rewards are endless.
So next time you drive through a school zone, look around and notice your surroundings. Then try and bring that relaxed pace to the next segment of your day.
If we don’t acknowledge what we have done we will never see how far we have come.
Blog with you soon.
Gerrianne