Slow Down Challenge

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JBloggs

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I subscribed to Jeff Goins "Slow Down Challenge" here is an excerpt from today:
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Many of us lead busier lives than we would like, but it is not enough to simply slow down. We must savor every moment.
The trouble is sometimes life can be bittersweet. It comes with all kinds of twists and turns, moments when we don't know what the point of it all is.
During those times, it may be tempting to live in the past or want to push ahead to the future. But those are the times we must cherish the most.
It was during my year on the road as a musician that I started rushing through meals. We were always on our way to the next gig, so where and what we ate was often the lowest priority.
Five- and ten-minute meals were the norm. We got into the habit of scarfing down our food quickly so that we could get back on the road and still stay on schedule.
It's no surprise that I gained weight that year and can remember only a handful of memorable meals I ate.
Moving too fast to enjoy any of it, I was more focused on what I was doing than on who I was becoming.
What happens when we rush
This isn't just about food, of course. It started there, but the busyness began to creep into all areas of my life.
And the faster I went, the more impatient I became. It got so bad that anytime an inconvenience occurred, I saw it as a personal affront to me.
We can get so caught up in our own pursuits that we start seeing life more as a schedule to keep than a journey to be cherished.
Our lives become nothing more than constant task lists, which cause us to move from one thing to the next without really enjoying any of it. But what is the point of a life like that?
As I wrote in The In-Between,
"If we reserve our joy only for the experiences of a lifetime, we may miss the life in the experience."
Why we need to slow down
read the rest...by subscription (daily email)
Join this challenge here. Don't let the busy season rob you of today, innkeepers!
 
I've long been a slow travel advocate and for years have been a participant on the Slow Travel website. I have my guesthouse listed there.
It's a wonderful place to get help from experienced travelers about any location you can imagine (but mostly for European travel).
It's like Anthony Bourdain says, he's been to Paris dozens of times, but never been up the Eiffel Tower. Been to Rome many times but never been to the Colosseum.
Rather than jumping to a new town every day trying to see as much as possible, the best part of travel can be just living like one of the locals for a while, in one interesting place. And all places are interesting if you take the time to explore them.
 
"And the faster I went, the more impatient I became. It got so bad that anytime an inconvenience occurred, I saw it as a personal affront to me."
Yes, that's EXACTLY what happens during the busy season for innkeepers!
We ran away on Wednesday. It was one of those rare times we were full and all the guests were 3 night stayovers. I called our helper and she finished the breakfast on Wed morning, freshened up then came back Thursday morning to do breakfast and turn over rooms. It was like a little slice of heaven for us. We drove the 2 hours to our "happy house", went out to dinner, woke up the next morning and had breakfast at a little dive place close by, then headed back.
I was a little nervous with no official person on the property overnight, but the business phone had be forwarded to my cell. Thank goodness no problems arose!
I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to slow down. Savor the moment. It has helped so much. Now I'm more relaxed, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and we have just a couple weeks until we go to FL for a family wedding. Family will take care of us for a change. The busy season will be over and we'll have more time to "savor".
 
"And the faster I went, the more impatient I became. It got so bad that anytime an inconvenience occurred, I saw it as a personal affront to me."
Yes, that's EXACTLY what happens during the busy season for innkeepers!
We ran away on Wednesday. It was one of those rare times we were full and all the guests were 3 night stayovers. I called our helper and she finished the breakfast on Wed morning, freshened up then came back Thursday morning to do breakfast and turn over rooms. It was like a little slice of heaven for us. We drove the 2 hours to our "happy house", went out to dinner, woke up the next morning and had breakfast at a little dive place close by, then headed back.
I was a little nervous with no official person on the property overnight, but the business phone had be forwarded to my cell. Thank goodness no problems arose!
I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to slow down. Savor the moment. It has helped so much. Now I'm more relaxed, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and we have just a couple weeks until we go to FL for a family wedding. Family will take care of us for a change. The busy season will be over and we'll have more time to "savor"..
Yes that quote jumped out at me too. People being people becomes an inconvenience. I spent some time painting yesterday, painting for myself, something I have not done in over a decade. I forgot how much it forced me to slow down and relax. I really enjoyed it.
I posted this and my daughter came in lambasting me with a "Hurry up your food getting cold!!" and raced out. I went to the kitchen and proceeded to eat quickly. DOH! (Which is the end of the email article, eating slowly, smiling in between bites, savoring each moment during your meal...vs eating just to be eating - another innkeeper trait)
 
I'm going to share this article on my FB page because it's exactly the slow down experience we are offering. I hope it hits home with some of them.
Thanks JB.
 
I'm game. I need to slow down and enjoy. And stop being annoyed that humans act like humans.
 
"And the faster I went, the more impatient I became. It got so bad that anytime an inconvenience occurred, I saw it as a personal affront to me."
Yes, that's EXACTLY what happens during the busy season for innkeepers!
We ran away on Wednesday. It was one of those rare times we were full and all the guests were 3 night stayovers. I called our helper and she finished the breakfast on Wed morning, freshened up then came back Thursday morning to do breakfast and turn over rooms. It was like a little slice of heaven for us. We drove the 2 hours to our "happy house", went out to dinner, woke up the next morning and had breakfast at a little dive place close by, then headed back.
I was a little nervous with no official person on the property overnight, but the business phone had be forwarded to my cell. Thank goodness no problems arose!
I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to slow down. Savor the moment. It has helped so much. Now I'm more relaxed, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and we have just a couple weeks until we go to FL for a family wedding. Family will take care of us for a change. The busy season will be over and we'll have more time to "savor"..
anytime an inconvenience occurred, I saw it as a personal affront to me."
That is DH - ANY time something goes wrong or something happens it is personal - it should NOT be happening to HIM! He will never understand the phrase - "Sh happens!"
One thing about being my size - it is easier to ROLL with the punches.
 
I like that challenge. Most Americans need to take it. They have no idea how to "take a load off" (instead they are running around like chickens with their heads cut off) or "sit a spell" as it's written on someone's website ;)
I don't need to think about it, we are living a very comfortable and relaxed life. It took a while to achieve it but with a conscious effort about how we spend our days, we did it. Yes, we have stressful days but on the whole, we have achieved a peaceful life.
 
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