MoHow Posted By Dr. MO Doesn’t it seem like we are living in a world wrapped up in speed? In business we are supposed to have a sense of urgency about everything. But constant urgency is madness. It’s neurotic. Action and speed are built-in to our everyday lives and we think of them as good things. But some cultures spend a lot more time deliberating before acting.

If someone said to you that you are a fast thinker, would you take this as a compliment? Would you think that they were alluding to your intelligence? We’ve been conditioned to come up with the right answer fast. This is just the sort of thing you want from your computer.

If someone called you a slow thinker, would you be offended?

We humans are capable of more. If we stop at the first right answer we limit ourselves. Slowing down and looking at things from alternative perspectives is essential to creativity and innovation.

To do this we need to learn to slow down and notice.There is a joy in looking. Constant activity is a way to fend off boredom, so slowing down is not for everyone. If you’re addicted to activity, then slowing down may have unforeseen side-effects.

Try the following experiment, to discover what happens when you slow down:

• Slow down for just one minute. If you are walking, slow down the pace.

If you’re in the supermarket line, look at the people standing around. Be present. Notice what is going on in your body. Is your jaw tight or relaxed? What does your neck feel like?

If you’re talking, slow down your rate of speech. Did you notice anything different?

Once you get into the habit of looking, looking at the person you are talking with, looking at the body language of others, you start to discover more. In order to do this you need to focus less on yourself.

Have you ever been in a conversation and not really been listening? I have. You see it all the time, one person is impatiently waiting for the other person to stop talking so they can say what they want to say. They are practically hoping from one word to the next. This is not really a conversation. It is? Really listening is great fun, but you need to slow down, and be patient, in order to truly listen.

Only by slowing down do we come to know ourselves, and come to know others, and the world. Each of us is unique. We are our own universe there to be discovered. Each of us is a singularity. And everyone we meet, and everything we experience is an opportunity to learn and grow more, if we slow down and smell the roses.

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