Category Archives: self-pacing

Loosen your grip on Life

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Loosen your grip on life. Sometimes we need to let things work themselves out in their own time and in their own way.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Mick Haupt

Are you a golfer or have taken a lesson or two before deciding it may not be the sport for you?

If so, you might have begun your efforts holding the club with a death grip and swung with all your might.

This approach never works and we eventually learn that a more flexible and looser grip is the way to go.

EXERCISE:

On what life matters are you gripping too tightly?

Where would a more relaxed and flexible approach help you perform better and enjoy more strolls along life’s fairways?

Sit loosely in the saddle

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“Sit loosely in the saddle.”

—Robert Louis Stevenson, 19th Century Scottish Novelist

Image of a galloping horse and rider

Image from Unsplash by Sergiu Vălenaș

Have you ever ridden a horse? If so, what was it like if you were walking, trotting, or at a full gallop?

Given our fast paced lives, most of us operate at a full gallop. Sitting tightly in our life saddles can be brutal, as if we were riding a rodeo bull.

If you were to seek horse-riding coaching, you would learn that you’re never really sitting at a gallop. You’re more or less standing, and letting the saddle come up and caress your rear end. Your legs get a significant workout as you use them as shock absorbers.

EXERCISE:

What strategies can you use to relax and pull yourself up from the bumpy aspects of life?

Where can you shift from a gallop to a trot, or a more scenic stroll, to enjoy a smoother, more enjoyable ride?

your share of happiness

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“Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.”

—William Feather, 20th Century American Writer and Publisher

Image of the words "Slow Down" Happiness Post

Image from Flickr by Marie-Chantal Turgeon

Take a few minutes to observe the pace of life around you. Many people describe their days as busy, hectic, stressful, maybe even chaotic.

In many ways our fast-paced, multi-tasking world makes us very productive. Yet, we are often so driven we miss the stop signs that can help us fully appreciate and enjoy the moments.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can you slow down your pace of life to more fully enjoy it, and experience your share of happiness?