By
Dr Neil Flanagan
Submitted On February 24, 2016
Groucho Marx reckoned that growing old is something you do if
you're lucky. Well, one way to increase your luck is to slow down and
stop rushing around like that chook you've heard about.
Two recent events helped to drive home to me the importance of slowing down.
The first event occurred when a tradesman undertook to service a piece of equipment for me. Several weeks passed before I heard from him when he finally got around to telling me that he was 'snowed under' and I should get someone else to do the job.
His decision to slow down was a pain in the youknowwhere, but, ultimately, it was his call.
The other event involved a get together with the Dalai Lama. His Holiness arrived late for a meeting: he was unconcerned. In fact, he did not consider it necessary to apologise for his lateness. While he considered punctuality important, there are times in everyone's life, he claimed, when everyday life intervenes.
While both of these are widely differing events, the key message was very similar - slow down, stop rushing around, and (hopefully) live longer. The tradesman who probably left it a bit late to 'pull the plug' is now alive to benefit from his decision. The Dalai Lama knew also that the meeting wasn't going to start without him, so why rush?
Even though death does not discriminate, it seems that, as we age, we seem to be reminded more often of our own mortality - going to more funerals, for example. In fact, a take-home message from your next funeral could be to make the most of every moment - to slow down and live.
Even if arriving on time for meetings or getting a tradesman to do as he says may no longer be part of your current lifestyle, keep in mind' that deciding not to do anything qualifies as a decision. And the life-long benefits to you can be impressive. Blaise Pascal may have got it right: 'All man's miseries come from not being able to sit alone in a room'.
Two recent events helped to drive home to me the importance of slowing down.
The first event occurred when a tradesman undertook to service a piece of equipment for me. Several weeks passed before I heard from him when he finally got around to telling me that he was 'snowed under' and I should get someone else to do the job.
His decision to slow down was a pain in the youknowwhere, but, ultimately, it was his call.
The other event involved a get together with the Dalai Lama. His Holiness arrived late for a meeting: he was unconcerned. In fact, he did not consider it necessary to apologise for his lateness. While he considered punctuality important, there are times in everyone's life, he claimed, when everyday life intervenes.
While both of these are widely differing events, the key message was very similar - slow down, stop rushing around, and (hopefully) live longer. The tradesman who probably left it a bit late to 'pull the plug' is now alive to benefit from his decision. The Dalai Lama knew also that the meeting wasn't going to start without him, so why rush?
Even though death does not discriminate, it seems that, as we age, we seem to be reminded more often of our own mortality - going to more funerals, for example. In fact, a take-home message from your next funeral could be to make the most of every moment - to slow down and live.
Even if arriving on time for meetings or getting a tradesman to do as he says may no longer be part of your current lifestyle, keep in mind' that deciding not to do anything qualifies as a decision. And the life-long benefits to you can be impressive. Blaise Pascal may have got it right: 'All man's miseries come from not being able to sit alone in a room'.
To have your say on anything in this article just go to http://www.neil.com.au
and while you're there download a copy of one of Neil Flanagan's
bestselling books BLINK! The Speed of Life (How to add years to your
life and life to your years).
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dr_Neil_Flanagan/238005
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