Are you in a hurry?

Have you noticed that when you hurry you miss things? Too often we are in a big hurry to get things done. We miss the chance to enjoy the process. This can happen with goals too.

As I was losing weight I was in a hurry. I was sure that I would feel amazing once I lost all the weight so I wanted to get there, fast. Since then I’ve learned that I can enjoy my life now. It’s really not better at the finish line – we just think it will be.

Ask yourself why you are in a hurry

If you find yourself in a hurry to change something then it’s a great idea to ask yourself why? What is it you think you’ll feel when you have that thing? Do you think you’ll enjoy life more with a sports car? Will life be more fulfilling when you have children or grandchildren? Ask yourself why so that you can find out what you really need.

Is the grass really greener on the other side?

It’s so valuable to take a look at what you think is missing from your life. How you are enjoying life? If you want excitement then look for all the ways you can get that. We think that the reason we feel things is that something happens around us or to us. The truth is that when that thing happens you have a thought about it. That thought is what creates the feeling you have. When someone cuts you off while you are driving the reason you are mad is that you have a thought about them. You might have thought they shouldn’t have done that or they are a bad driver. Our minds trick us into thinking it’s the event of being cut off that made us mad though.

I’ll give you an example that might make this more clear. You take your lottery ticket to the store and find out you won a million dollars. You tell all your friends how excited you are that you won a million dollars. What I want to offer is that it’s not that you won the money that has created the feeling of excitement for you – it’s the thoughts about winning the money. You don’t even have the money yet but you are excited. This is how we know it isn’t the money that you are excited about, it’s what you think about it that creates the feeling.

This distinction is so important in many situations. Whenever we think that someone should or shouldn’t do something and then we feel an emotion about it

What if you weren’t in a hurry?

We take away the rush in our lives if we just let things take as long as they take and enjoy every minute of getting there. We stop putting off enjoyment. If you weren’t in such a hurry you could enjoy your life now – don’t put that off for someday in the future.