Why do we need to slow down?

- I once coached a CEO who told me a story about a recent vacation. She was sitting at the pool, and supposedly relaxing, but then she realized her phone was in her hand, and she was planning her next vacation. I see this as a metaphor for all of us. We've become conditioned to live our lives in a state of, not emergency, but impatient-cy. We feel the pressure to always be doing something, whether or not it really needs to be done this very moment. Perhaps you've experienced some of these issues. You feel annoyed when someone asks you a question. You feel aggravated when something takes just a little longer than you expected. Or you're worried that you'll never be able to catch up on all the work you have. I personally have experienced these feelings, and I've helped people with similar emotions. It's overwhelming; and these outward stresses are symptoms of a life that's just moving too fast. Living in a state of impatient-cy creates mistakes at work, increases your stress, slows down task and project completion, and damages relationships. But the good news is that when we take control of our day by just slowing down a little bit, the reverse is true. We improve the quality of our work. We feel more calm. We complete work faster, and we strengthen relationships with people around us: our friends, our family, and our coworkers. We also increase the sustainability of our careers and lives. We ensure that we're not just productive now, but many years into the future. And there is a pathway to finding this control, beginning with understanding your motivation to change. To get the most from this course, decide why slowing down matters to you. The more personal your reason, the more likely your change will last. So, at the end of this video, stop for a moment, and consider a couple of questions. First, what are the negatives that I'm experiencing right now, because I'm moving too fast. And second, what are the positives that I want to experience in my life by slowing down a bit. Take these questions in. Give yourself a few minutes to explore them. Then, write your answers down on a three by five card or a note on your phone. As you proceed through this course, refer back to that motivation to keep yourself on track. Take a moment now to consider these questions.