Living Slow- Fall in love with your life.

"There just aren't enough hours in the day." How many times have you heart or even said that phrase? We are currently living in the fastest paced time in history. Technology is supposed to make every conceivable task quicker to complete, yet we seem to have less time to spare not more.

Days lapse into weeks, into months and before you know it another year has passed and we haven't even noticed it go by. We eat while we do chores without even tasting the food in our mouths. We listen to books while taking phone calls and answering emails. We take a walk, chat on the phone and push baby strollers. We are no longer present in the moment.

We no longer give our attention to any one task for longer than two seconds then go crazy because we can't find something or can't remember what we talked about at breakfast, wait a second - did I even have breakfast?

The fact is that life is getting faster and the expectations, peer pressure, keeping up with the Jones' makes us feel pressured to work longer hours, earn more money, accumulate more "things" that clutter our lives all in the misconception that this is what life is all about.

The question is , is it ? Adulting is complex, our responsibilities, morals and tasks grow with maturity, it's how we grow and develop but does it really have to be at this pace? Do we have to crash, hit a brick wall of fate before we slow down?

It seems to me that each of us have been given an opportunity called life. It is our responsibility to create a life that we want for ourselves yet it appears to be human nature to let others dictate what our life should be. From an early age parents in their guidance instill on us their ideas of how our lives should be, then peers and after that our partners and sometimes even our children.

How many of us actually stop and take time to think about what life means to us? How many of us have a life plan, we seem to slide from day to day putting time in , existing in life not living our lives. I myself have been guilty of that for sure.

Time has crept up on me. I have had a thought for some time now, that I never want to retire, but I do certainly want my life to be different, but how long am I supposed to wait to begin that next chapter? It's almost like that bucket list that won't be completed if time is not scheduled to do it.

Sitting in front of the fire with my slippers and cocoa is not an option for me but I do want to live intentionally.

What does that mean exactly? Living intentionally is about taking time to appreciate all that we have in life. For me it is not about giving up on all the parts of life that make me who I am, but it does mean that I work on carving more time in my day to do the things I love. It's about working to live not living to work.

We spend so much time rushing, hurrying, forcing more and more tasks into the 24 hours than is necessary. I want to halt that. I want a slower pace to my life. Time to embrace life. To fall in love with the beauty of life and living. Creating a more simplistic life, not to give up on the things we love but more expanding on the things we love but don't seem to have time to do.

How do we create extra time with such a busy life? We must begin to schedule our day and prioritize what is important. Time blocking is a great way to add some extra personal time to our day. I have created a worksheet for time blocking and scheduling time, if you would like a copy please comment below , I'll be happy to share it .

Productivity is about more than spreadsheets and planners. Just as living slowly is more than giving up on everything we are used to. Balance is key to the practice of living with intention. It is important to find opportunities in every moment to be grateful for and find joy in the little things.

xx Lei

TO LIVE IS THE RAREST THING IN THE WORLD, MOST PEOPLE EXIST, THAT IS ALL - Oscar Wilde