Stop whatever it is that you’re doing (aside from reading this blog post).

Take this time to think about what’s happening in your life, the habits you hold, the routines you have, the motions that you go through. Now, ask yourself a question. Are those habits actually making a difference in your life ?


Are you always late for work? Why? Maybe your routine doesn’t allow enough time in the morning. Or, maybe the Starbucks drive-through sets you back 10 or 15 minutes. What habit kills the chances of you making it to work on time?

Do you always seem to be stressed out? About what?

We Americans live in one of the richest and advanced countries in the world. Opportunities abound. Our nation offers scholarships for college, inexpensive housing and reliable electrical grids and running water almost everywhere, all the while being insanely connected to one another through the Internet and our handheld cellular devices. Yet, people remain unhappy. That’s a total buzzkill.


Something is seriously wrong. That “something” is speed. And, conventional wisdom .

Just stop. Life is not a race. We all arrive at the next red light at about the same time whether we weave in and out of traffic or not. Seriously. Have you ever pulled up next to a kid who blew passed you, then cut right in front of your car only to switch lanes again to get just one more car ahead?


Here’s a more important question.

Do you stop long enough to consider how your decisions affect your life? Or, do you plow full speed ahead in search of the next one? If you are like most Americans, you’re pushing headlong forward. Always moving. Forward. More. Forward. More!


It’s the pursuit of the “ American Dream ” or something.

And we end up making the same mistakes over and over again. It’s because when we do something, we teach our brains to repeat this same behavior in the future. Why? Less energy, perhaps. The pathway we previously created gets re-used. Path of least resistance, like a river.


This happens when we do things right, but also when we do things wrong. We tend to ignore where the path leads us. Instead, we simply follow the easiest route to the desired result. It’s because when things don’t go horribly wrong, we mentally assume things went right. No reason to change, right?

In all facets of our lives, these mental pathways screw with our sensibilities – and many of us don’t realize it. Always losing things. Dating the wrong types of people. Overreacting. Perpetual tardiness. Tempers.


Bad habits stick with us as easily as good habits. And until we stop to consider more thoughtfully how our decisions affect our lives, we sentence ourselves to endless cycles of failure and mediocrity.

Stop it. Slowing down gives us time to process. It makes us more deliberate and thoughtful.


What makes you late to work? Why do you keep choosing the wrong person to date? Why do you feel lonely or afraid? What are the things that you do that might contribute to the satisfaction you feel out of life?

Slow the heck down and figure it out. I did, and it helped me retire at 35 .



Guest post from Steve of Think Save Retire





















