As a father of 4 kids and as a senior executive, life can be pretty hectic at times.
There are days that begin and end like a blur, when you feel like you are being ushered from one meeting to another... going through e-mail, text messages and BBM messages in the space you have in between activities, while rushing to make it to the next appointment.
Even on the weekends, the hurried schedule remains only this time with different types of activities, more like errands...do you sometimes feel guilty when you try to relax? I must admit that sometimes I do. I've succumbed to the expectation of the world that a productive life is one that is characterized by hurry.
But is productivity synonymous with hurry...I know it isn't and yet I find myself conforming to this mindset which gets reflected in my behavior. I don't feel productive if my schedule isn't full and if I'm not hurrying from one meeting to another.
Author Dallas Willard offered this wise advise to a friend, "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry in your life."
This is easier said than done right?
I found this list given by Chip Ingram and Rebecca Johnson on how our lives can be affected by hurry to be extremely helpful and how our lives can be so much better without it.
When I'm in a hurry, I don't notice the flowers blooming alongside the roadside.
When I'm in a hurry, there seem to be a lot more irritating drivers on the road.
When I'm in a hurry, I don't strike up friendly conversations with those around me.
When I'm in a hurry, I avoid people, places and things that take time and energy.
When I'm in a hurry, I pretend not to see the person behind me in line who only has a few items when I have a cart full of groceries.
When I'm in a hurry, my heart pounds, my muscles tense, and my mind races.
When I'm in a hurry, I rush the kids through the day.
When I'm in a hurry, I don't ask people how they are doing.
When I'm in a hurry, my devotional times are a task not a treasure.
When I'm in a hurry, I'm abrupt with people.
When I'm in a hurry, I get angry more easily and more often.
When I'm not in a hurry, I enjoy my food more.
When I'm not in a hurry, I smile more and feel calmer inside.
When I'm not in a hurry, life seems more enjoyable and less stressful.
When I'm not in a hurry, I'll ask others about themselves and how they are doing.
When I'm not in a hurry, my times in prayer are more meaningful.
When I'm not in a hurry, I'm nicer, more thoughtful, and kinder to thers.
When I'm not in a hurry, I'm more patient, loving and understanding, and tolerant.
When I'm not in a hurry, I'm more creative, more spontaneous - happier.
When I'm not in a hurry, I don't get angry as often.
How do we eliminate hurry in our lives?
Plan ahead, sleep early and wake up early, pray for God's direction and wisdom, recognize your priorities, learn to say 'No' and recognize that if everything is important then nothing is.
Are you like me? Always in a hurry? Take a step back, productivity is not synonymous with hurry...what concrete steps will you take to eliminate hurry in your life?
The hurried life is not the meaningful life. The bible reminds us in the book of Psalms 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God."
Try saying this prayer written by Orin Crain,
"Slow me down Lord. Ease the pounding of my heart by quieting my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory...
Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward to the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well."
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