Imagine Yourself Podcast

How Slowing Down Speeds Up Success (and Happiness!)

May 28, 2022 Imagine Yourself Podcast Season 4 Episode 6
Imagine Yourself Podcast
How Slowing Down Speeds Up Success (and Happiness!)
Show Notes Transcript

We live in a society that glorifies “the grind.”  We’re proud of our hustle and hard work to make things happen. Setting goals and going after them is a good thing, the trick is to pace yourself; and to take time to "stop and smell the roses" on the way. We know that constantly pushing ourselves and rushing around can lead to burnout both physically and mentally, but  many of us continue at a breakneck pace because we think it’s necessary to achieve our goals and dreams. The reality is, adopting a slower more deliberate pace can deliver better results and enhance our quality of life.  In this episode, we’ll look at both the benefits of taking time to pause and rest…and ways to realistically do it.


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Sandy Kovach  [00:00:02]:

Welcome to Imagine yourself podcast where we help you imagine the next chapter of life with Grace gratitude, courage, and faith.

Lanée Blaise [00:00:10]:

I'm Lanee here with Sandy and the big question lately. can you truly afford to slow down in life, or do you need to just hustle hustle hustle go fast, fast, fast, so you just burn

Sandy Kovach  [00:00:25]:

Yeah. You're a grinder, and you're gonna keep grinding. But yeah.

Lanée Blaise [00:00:29]:

You gotta you gotta sleep on the grinder. You'll sleep you'll sleep when I'm dead. Yeah. That's just I'm so overhearing that phrase. Is it possible? Is it actually helpful when you slow down? instead of grind and crank it up in hustle, Sandy, what are you thinking about all this?

Sandy Kovach  [00:00:47]:

Well, I think our society is getting better. than it was. I I feel like 2020 really affected this whole attitude, but prior to that, we glorified the grind And look, there's nothing wrong with working hard. And I totally believe that you should work hard for what you want and that you should take responsibility and, you know, all that stuff and all the things we tell our kids. And hopefully, you know, without ourselves. But I think it's been a busy has been overly glorified, and I think that if you don't take a pause and make it deliberate, a plan for a pause because otherwise it might not happen, then you burn out and then What good are you to yourself or anyone else?

Lanée Blaise [00:01:29]:

Exactly. Then nobody wins. It is just very interesting. I posted on Instagram a little bit ago that there was this quote, and this was from a Broadway legend, Andre DeShields, He got his first Tony award at age seventy three. Aw. And it was just wonderful. He had been on Broadway for all these years, but he finally got that award. And during his acceptance speech, he said, slowly, is the fastest way to get where you want to be. Interesting. Hit me in my heart in a good way. because it is so counterintuitive. Slowly. You're telling me that slowly is the way to get there the fastest. Yes. You are less likely to fall down, and you are less likely to break down and burn out. There is actually A thought in my mind now that slowing down to pause and rest will actually gets you to success in a better, faster way. Yeah. And I really Believe that now, and I'm really trying to incorporate it. It is amazing how much more productive you can be. if you have taken a moment to kind of organize your thoughts, organize your day, slow it down a little bit, and it makes it more productive and faster. It's really weird, Sandy.

Sandy Kovach  [00:02:58]:

No. I completely agree because if you're just kind of going through your day putting out fires, you know, whatever just grabbing your attention, you're gonna do it. And and you know what? Some days are gonna be like that. Man, you have no control over it because, you know, with your job, your family, Things just pop up. But I think, like I said a few minutes ago, if you can intentionally put that in your day, and I think you have been a big and it's something I've started doing more recently lately. For in the morning, start out with some prayer, maybe start out with devotional, some meditation, whatever it is. quiet time and just clear your mind and ask god to help you through your day.

Lanée Blaise [00:03:36]:

Yeah. Get yourself centered. because Sandy, you and I were just talking about this before, how there has been a theme within many of the episodes that we've had recently, on how important it is to take that time away from the hustle and bustle to get with god and to get with your own self and soul and, you know, spiritually and faithfully. One of the episodes that we had not too long ago was with Angela Scott she said, we need to rest and be refreshed so that we are better able to help others and ourselves and god, because we don't wanna be totally on empty.

Lanée Blaise [00:04:18]:

you know, we kinda laughed at it when she said it because who wants to drive around on an empty tank of gas?

Sandy Kovach  [00:04:25]:

No. Especially with gas prices these days,

Lanée Blaise [00:04:28]:

Exactly. Yes. That is true. Take a pause from all that driving around too. Yeah. Take a pause.

Sandy Kovach  [00:04:34]:

--

Lanée Blaise [00:04:34]:

waste gas.

Sandy Kovach  [00:04:35]:

Yeah. But, no, seriously, we have a limited amount too. And, our internal gas, well, that sounds really funny.

Lanée Blaise [00:04:42]:

It's all real. We're realistic here. We got internal gas and external gas.

Sandy Kovach  [00:04:49]:

I guess what I meant was.

Lanée Blaise [00:04:52]:

I bet you lost your whole train of thought.

Sandy Kovach  [00:04:54]:

Yeah. I was started thinking about Beavis and butt head. It was just, I

Lanée Blaise [00:04:57]:

don't know. But, they knew how to pause in life.

Sandy Kovach  [00:05:00]:

They did.

Lanée Blaise [00:05:02]:

They knew how to enjoy the safer life. Yeah. The little thing.

Sandy Kovach  [00:05:09]:

Okay. So so, yeah, even your internal energy, whether it's how much sleep you get, how you're eating, you know, all of that feeds into it. But resting feeds into that too. And Angela made the point that we wouldn't be there you know, whether it's for family members or friends or colleagues at work or wherever a responsibility is like, or people that we run into that might need help. Like, if we're just always crazy busy and stressed and somebody comes up and they're in need of prayer or some a friend texts you and says, you know, can you come over? I really need to talk or, you know, just and you're crazy and frazzled, then you're a lot less likely to be able to help.

Lanée Blaise [00:05:51]:

Yeah. because you haven't left a single inch of margin in your life or the things that are unexpected or the things that are beautiful. I had to call and apologize to my daughter this morning because I was so snappy with her because I'm like, well, I've got a meeting at this time. I got this, and I've got that. And then I had to call her back and say, I'm sorry. You are my baby girl. I love you. I don't ever want to make you feel like I am just so busy and too busy. And it's because I had overscheduled my day. And, Sandy, you said that I'd gotten a lot better with that. But every once in a while, we get a blip or we say yes to something that we kinda knew in our heart we should have postponed or switched to a different day or or schedule it a little differently. And sure enough, that is right when it hits. When you kinda said yes to a time or an event that you probably should have said know or later to, and then when something unexpected sneaks in there. But when you have someone who's important in your life, and they're trying to share something fun and exciting with you. You wanna have that inch or that centimeter or something of margin to be able to enjoy it and savor it. Or like you said, if they have a problem or something and you do indeed care about this person, you wanna have just enough time to try to give them comfort when they need it. And even for yourself or even for an unexpected headache or, you know, things pop up in life, and we just wanna make sure that we are not trying to overbook our schedules And it just starts to fall apart, and it makes things become less professional, less productive. Just like you're doing too much.

Sandy Kovach  [00:07:30]:

Yeah. And then you fly off the handle. I mean, I've done that too. And it's usually at a close family member or somebody that you, was our guest Monica talked about that. We somebody we feel safe with, showing our emotions to, Which in one way is is good. But in the but if it's gonna be, like, snapping at him, it's not gonna be good. So -- Yeah.

Lanée Blaise [00:07:51]:

Just slow down. And the other part too is god. What if god is trying to whisper some wonderful, great informative detail that will truly help and change your life? but you are too busy to listen and to absorb it and to get it. I mean, I really encourage everyone take a moment rest. Rest in the lord. Like, visualize yourself, literally visualize yourself being held by god, being centered in god, and starting the day his way and being able to have the capacity to do all the things that you were meant to do and none more. Slow it down. Take time out of this busy chaotic, fast paced world to rest in the lord daily.

Sandy Kovach  [00:08:43]:

I love that. Do you remember the old, fairy tale? Not fairy tale. It was, I think, par not a parable. Okay, Sandy. Get your head together here. What it

Lanée Blaise [00:08:52]:

slow it down.

Sandy Kovach  [00:08:53]:

He's off Aesop's fables. Okay. I'm not even sure it was that. It was something, but It was the tortoise and the hare and slow and steady wins the race?

Lanée Blaise [00:09:02]:

Yes. That is so true because the the hair just thought, oh, I'm so fast, and I could just and he was doing things that he didn't need to be doing too, extracting things in the midst of it

Sandy Kovach  [00:09:14]:

Yeah.

Sandy Kovach  [00:09:15]:

--

Lanée Blaise [00:09:15]:

because he was so fast. And he and it's just you're not even thinking straight, whereas the tortoise took his time. nice and slow and steady, not doing any additional distracting, dumb things that he didn't need to put in the equation. and he was the winner. Yeah.

Sandy Kovach  [00:09:32]:

And

Lanée Blaise [00:09:32]:

that's what we were taught when we were little, and then I don't even think they teach that fable anymore.

Sandy Kovach  [00:09:36]:

And they probably know they're like grinding wins the race. But, Exactly.

Lanée Blaise [00:09:40]:

It's just terrible.

Sandy Kovach  [00:09:41]:

I think we're getting better as a society, and I really think that was one of the a lot of bad things happened with the pandemic, but one of the good things I think was that for a lot of people, because they were forced to slow down. And they were like, wait a minute. I think I I'm enjoying having a little margin in my day, you know. It just yeah. I'm enjoying enhancing my relationships. Yeah.

Lanée Blaise [00:10:03]:

huge wake up call, huge way to think about it. And they also realize that you gotta rely on god. We cannot control what is going on. We have to take it day by day. Things will change. I just encourage people to if you're gonna go fast, run to God, you know, run to god with every little thing. Every little thing. Every big thing. Every troubling thing. Take it to God. Take that time to be with him and kind of drop it at his feet. And I know there's Psalm 121 that says he will not let your foot slip. And I'm guessing he will let your foot slip if you have run off ahead you know, without him. That's how you fall down and make errors. It really is.

Sandy Kovach  [00:10:45]:

Yeah.

Lanée Blaise [00:10:45]:

Sandy, I have a bracelet even, and it says, stop rushing. Wow. You know, it's it was engraved into it. Stop rushing. That was the message that I wanted to put on my wrist. so that I would stop rushing because I literally I even rush around, you know, the house doing things and fall down. So stop rushing. Literally.

Sandy Kovach  [00:11:09]:

Multi tasking and I'm terrible. I mean, being in the middle of one thing and get distracted by something. And that's another part of it too is when you slow down and get rid of the distractions, at least for a time, it does help clear your mind.

Lanée Blaise [00:11:23]:

It does. Usually, we have something called takeaway time, and I know this is a somewhat shorter episode, but I still wanna offer something to everyone for this takeaway time. And this is something where you're not gonna believe it, but it is true. And it's not too good to be true, but it's a free app. And I mean, absolutely free. Now the only thing about it is it pretty much stays the same. They don't add new elements to it and things like that, but it's a free app called 1 minute pause. and I'm in love with it Sandy. So I made sure that I downloaded the 1 minute pause app on my phone. and on my son's phone because I felt like we truly needed it. My son is in high school. He has so many stresses and pressures weighing on him. I said, you need to just take one minute. Can you take one minute out of your life and just Slow it down, reflect, get center, be with god, and it is just a beautiful app. And he has been using it, and I have been using it. And you can Click it to set for if you want a 3 minute version or the 5 minute version so that you can expand upon that It's just done wonders for me. It really helps you focus on what's real, what's true, what's right, what you need instead of all the extraneous factors. And even as far as, to be fair, because it is a free app. It's like, so what does the app maker get? There is a book called Get Your Life Back. And it's by John Eldridge. And he sometimes will promote you know, that you can purchase the book, which I did. And I love the book also. It's just beautiful. Get your life back. It's just something that we are all kinda trying to do right about now. but I recommend anyone to really take advantage of the 1 minute pause. It's not the pause app. That's a different one. and it's very beautiful, spiritually based, godly based. It's just wonderful. It's changed my life. It helps me a lot.

Sandy Kovach  [00:13:26]:

Wow. So you know what? We should probably put a link to the book and to the app as well on our on our website with the blog to this, episode. So we will do that. And sometimes you need help, like the Pause app, to remind you to slow the heck down, or you might wanna get a bracelet like Lynne. And it wasn't safe.

Lanée Blaise [00:13:46]:

It says stop rushing.

Lanée Blaise [00:13:50]:

It's like my own little way. And and in of course, doing that, we don't wanna add to all the different things that you have to do in your life, but I also do recommend that you check out our blogs on imagine yourself podcast.com. because we have had so many wonderful guests with so much good advice on how to really take back our lives in beautiful ways or how to give our lives to god in beautiful ways. There's good stuff out there. Search for the good stuff. Seek it out.

Sandy Kovach  [00:14:18]:

That's right. And we have on our website, imagine yourself podcast.com, the blogs and the episodes, and they're in categories so you can find, you know, exactly what it is you're looking for. And we would love to have your feedback. What would you like to hear us talk about? What episodes did you like? We would love if you could follow us on Apple if that's where you're listening or subscribe to our blog. Do all of those things. Be a part of the Imagine you family, because we are truly, like Lenay said, trying to help you take back your life.

Lanée Blaise [00:14:46]:

Yeah. So overall, as far as this episode is concerned, imagine yourself slowing down and really believing that you might be able to succeed more by doing less and by slowing it all down in your life.

Sandy Kovach  [00:15:05]:

Thanks for listening. Hope the episode was helpful to you. There's a link in the show notes to connect with us on our social media platforms or on imagine yourself podcast.com until next when we have something new to imagine, take care, and enjoy a little downtime today.