don't rush your life away
your life has flashed before your eyes because your eyes have been distracted.
The walls are beginning to close in. My vision is starting to blur. I feel my shoulders tensing up towards my head. My breath feels like it’s being sucked out of my lungs, like a parched child desperately drinking water through a straw. For some reason I can hear the ticking of a clock, and I don’t even think I own a clock. The existential questions begin rushing through my mind, as though a flood gate has been opened and will not shut until I take action. Action. Action. God, I am so afraid of failing, but what does failure mean to me? What does it look like? I wonder if it’s the same for everyone else? Either way, I don’t want to fail, and so I must achieve these specific goals and reach my specific vision for the future by a specific time frame, otherwise I will think I’m a failure and therefore everyone else will think I’m a failure. Why is that ticking so damn loud?
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It’s exhausting isn’t it? The amount of pressure we put on ourselves to achieve specific goals. It seems as though every corner of the internet is bombarding us with information about how to get rich, find the perfect partner, choose the perfect career, become your dream self, and design your ideal reality. It’s never enough. There is always more to chase after. I feel as though I’m running towards an image of the future that keeps morphing and moving with each step. And I can’t stop, I just keep rushing, because all I can hear is a nagging voice whispering that “time is running out”.
Today, I decided to stuff a giant sock in the mouth of that nagging voice. It has its place, but right now it needs to take a long holiday because it’s really cramping my style. So, I say this to you as much as I say it to myself: Please stop rushing.
Rushing stems from a place of fear, and lately it seems like we all fear missing out on something. A job. An experience. A relationship. A possession. An update. It’s almost as if we can never be satisfied with what we have right now and are always focused on the next best thing, and that next best thing is often in the future. Before you know it, all that rushing will cause time to slip through your fingers. You’ll be so focused on the future that you’ll forget about the present moment. Then you’ll hit a point, a crossroads, a new life stage, and ask yourself “...where did the time go?”.
When we’re in a state of fear, we have a tendency to rush, especially when it comes to accomplishing goals. As a result, it can make us feel like we have the ability to speed up time, but I’ll let you in on a little secret… we can’t. You might be pretty cool, but I don’t think you can shift the space-time continuum. Don’t give up on your dreams though!
The only reason you feel like your life has flashed before your eyes is because your eyes have been distracted. They have been too focused on a made up image instead of the image right in front of them. The image of the present moment. The inhales. The exhales. The rain pattering on your roof. The birds playing outside your window. The words on this page. No, your eyes have been too busy imagining what’s next to acknowledge right now.
We put so much pressure on ourselves to reach a certain goal or actualise a version of ourselves we yearn to be. Reaching your goals takes time, and no amount of rushing will get you there any faster. You’ll get there when you’re supposed to. Take the necessary steps towards the vision every day. Embrace the vision, but do not force it to reach you sooner. A vision board exists purely for motivation, and we cannot rely on motivation alone. Know where you’d like to be, imagine it, and then let it go. Think of it like making a wish and throwing the coin into the fountain.
At the end of the day, there’s only two things we know for certain about our timeline. We know when it started, and we know that at some point, it’s going to end. Everything in between the start and finish line is a blur of unpredictability. It’s an empty book waiting for its pages to be filled with stories. Your stories. You cannot fill the blank pages with possibilities, otherwise it wouldn't be the story of your life. The time for your future stories to be written will come, but it’s not the chapter you’re on right now. So be patient. Breathe deeply and savour each moment, because it will be over soon. The pages will keep turning, with or without your awareness.
So go for a walk. Inhale deeply. Exhale slowly. Enjoy each bite of your meal. Savour each sip of your morning coffee. Listen intently. Observe quietly. Every moment will pass. Stay present, because before you know it, you’ll be longing for a past that was spent longing for the future.
To finish up, I’m going to share a relevant song by Billy Joel. I think listening to music is brilliant because it requires your attention to be in the present moment. Enjoy.
Until next time,
Plot Collector
Thank u🙏