Nature Does Not Hurry
One early morning a couple of months ago, I sat at my computer with a cup of yogi tea. Before unlocking my screen and beginning my day’s work, I read the quote on my yogi tea bag.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Lao Tzu
My whole being sighed with relief.
I am not kidding when I say my days have been a fast-paced blur since I got my first BlackBerry for work back in 2007. Things got much worse when I got my first iPhone, as a birthday gift, in 2008. And, of course, having two children escalated matters dramatically if in a completely different way. The idea that one need not rush in order to get somewhere or something done blew me away.
It also brought home something that LYB owner Lisa Berry (whom I am extremely fortunate to call my boss) has said to me since I started working for her: “We will get there. We have lots of dreams and goals. As long as we keep our eye on the ball and make movement in the right direction every day, we will get there.”
It is absolutely true that nature, with all its abundance and wonder, does not rush. Crops grow on their own timetable; seasons hang around for months; predators may be particularly aggressive before hibernation, but hurrying would likely affect their chances of catching prey.
As I thought about nature’s different actions, I was filled with a sense of dignity. It’s not always a pretty picture: it is a game of survival at every moment. But picking up the pace in order to accomplish more and faster is not a consideration.
What’s more, through my work with Lisa, I had been able to prove that one need not run around like the proverbial headless chicken to succeed. By working steadily, we are checking off our list of dreams and visions. The list never quite shortens because we excitedly add to it every week, but we are happy to watch it grow because we have proven to ourselves we can check things off it at a pace that works for us.
So, my New Year’s Resolution is to slow down in all areas of my life. And I invite you to remember that nature does not hurry as you fulfill your own resolutions in 2017.
Take a page out of LYB’s book, and follow this plan:
1) Set your goals, and set them as high as you want. We do not believe in limits at LYB.
2) Do something each day to move towards them.
3) Let how you feel determine how much you do each day. If you’re run down and tired, spend just 5 minutes on your goal. If you’re energized, devote as much time as you have. At the very least, acknowledge your goal each day. This will ensure you don’t lose sight of it and that you continue on the road towards it.
4) Don’t worry about how fast you are accomplishing your resolution. We promise, so long as you never give up on it and take a baby step each day, you will reach it before you know it.
May 2017 be the year we all stop rushing and start peacefully accomplishing!