The Fastest Time Ever We Are Living.
We live in a super fast world. Everything is instant, drafts, designs, and planning can be done in seconds. News is breaking and changing throughout the day and trends are trending then gone within a week. There’s something truly amazing about this, however, we haven’t been told that it will lead to us feeling pressured to perform fast.
“If A Tool Can Do It Faster What Value Am I?”
For many of us in our 20’s and early 30’s, this question is knocking in our minds. We’re working hard to build our future but it can often cause us to feel stressed, insignificant and replaceable. However, speed has never been what has made you valuable.
A tool can give you the answers but they don’t have your experiences, preferences, sense of humour or unique observations. They don’t stay with a friend during a tough time because they want to. They don’t feel proud of themselves for making it through a challenging year. They don’t know how much it cost you to get to where you are.
We don’t become whole by being quick. We become whole by experiencing things, even the slow, clumsy and unglamorous ones.
Signs That You May Be Feeling Valued By How Fast You Are.
Resting makes you feel like you’re falling behind feel guilty when you’re not doing something ‘productive’ You feel like compliments are fleeting and criticism is permanent, You’re comparing your speed to people you don’t even know, You’re only feeling proud once you’ve finished something. If you can relate to a few of these don’t worry, you’re just breathing the same fast air as everyone else.
Try to separate who you are from what you’ve done. Write down “I’m a good person because…” and try not to mention anything you’ve achieved. Be intentional with doing something slow. Cook a meal without a podcast, go for a walk without headphones or write a few lines by hand. Celebrate your effort. Think about the days you put the effort in.
Avoid comparing yourself. Mute or unfollow anything that makes you feel like you’re in a race. Speak to someone. A friend, family member or therapist can help you to realise how valued you are
Somewhere between the notifications and the deadlines, we learned to measure ourselves in minutes and metrics. But a life isn’t a stopwatch, and you were never meant to be a speed test.
– Aira 🌿
