In the era of speed we live in, it seems the collective mantra is "faster is better." From technology that promises to speed up our daily tasks to the fast-food culture that invites us to eat on the go, everything pushes us to increase our pace. This obsession with speed has infiltrated almost all aspects of our lives, making us believe that if we're not moving quickly, we're somehow falling behind. But is faster always better? This question led me to reflect on how the constant rush affects our ability to live in the present moment and appreciate the experiences that make up our life.
I've spent a long time listening to audiobooks and watching YouTube videos and until relatively recently, I did it at an accelerated speed. I even listened to WhatsApp voice notes at 1.5x. "Faster, more efficient, more everything", I told myself. It was even the norm in my family, until a conversation stopped me in my tracks. "Why do you listen to it faster?" my sister-in-law asked me. "To finish it faster", I replied. And she, with the simplicity of a Zen master, asked me again, "And why do you want to finish it faster?" To move on to the next one and learn more faster. “And why”, she asked again.
The conversation ended there, but the question echoed in my head for days. Did it make sense to live at 1.5x our natural speed? What was I losing in the attempt to save time? Because by speeding up the messages, I couldn't even distinguish the tone they were spoken in, let alone grasp the intention behind the words.
I returned to the original speed and discovered that my rush was another failed attempt to control the uncontrollable, to manifest faster, to falsely believe that if I learn more things faster and apply them faster, then the universe would also hurry up so that my dreams and goals would be achieved faster. But the universe has its own rhythm, and what I was doing was ignoring the here and now.
So I asked myself, and if you’ve ever felt like you were in fast-forward at times, I also ask you, do you speed up a song, a movie, your favorite show, or a super fun party just to "finish it faster"? When you go to a concert, do you ask the band to play at 1.5x speed so you can leave earlier? Obviously, the answer is no.
We are here to fully live each experience, to immerse ourselves in every note of life's music, to savor every word of the poetry that surrounds us. It's not about how many books we "finish" listening to, but about how much we allow ourselves to be transformed by them.
Today, I invite you to pause. Ask yourself: Am I living my life in the present, or am I unnecessarily speeding it up? Am I really here, or am I always in a race towards some "next" moment?
Mindfulness is not just a buzzword; it's an invitation to live fully. To stop seeing life as a series of checkboxes to tick and start enjoying each one of them. Because, at the end of the day, the present is the only time we truly own.
And now, as you read these lines at the pace your breath dictates, I ask you: Isn't it wonderful to just be?
Have you ever stopped to think about how much you miss by wanting to get ahead of the future? In our race against the clock, we forget that time is actually an ally, not an enemy. Time is the canvas where we paint our existence, and each brushstroke deserves to be felt and lived in its entirety.
If the above makes you reflect, maybe it's time to reconsider your relationship with time. It's not about giving up efficiency or our goals, but about finding balance. Remember that every present moment is a gift that will not be repeated.
I invite you to experience the full attention of the present moment. The next time you talk to someone, listen to them without thinking about your response while they speak. When you eat, savor each bite. And when you work, dedicate yourself to that single task. You'll see that the quality of your experience multiplies.
Life is not a race; it's a journey. And like all journeys, the most unforgettable moments happen when we are fully immersed in the landscape, not when we watch it pass by at high speed from the window of a train. So live slowly, live fully, live now. Because, you know what? There's no prize for finishing life faster.
Until next time, taking it one moment at a time, savoring the present like the most exotic delicacy. 🍣
P.S. Remember that sharing is caring, please share if you enjoyed this and think someone else could benefit from reading it, or just because. Thank you 🫶🏻
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