✨ THE VIEW FROM HERE — What Does Slowing Down Really Mean?
I have spent most of my life being needed.
First as a nurse, then a single mom, as a caregiver, a stay-at-home mom and eventually as a real estate broker. The work changed, but one thing remained remarkably consistent: someone was--and still is--always counting on me.
When you’ve spent a lifetime working, slowing down doesn’t necessarily come naturally.
Work becomes more than the way we earn a living. It shapes our routines, organizes our days and becomes tangled up with how we see ourselves. Being productive feels good. Solving problems feels useful. Helping someone through an important moment gives the day true meaning.
Perhaps that’s why the idea of eventually “slowing down” can feel so complicated.
What does it really mean? Does it mean working fewer hours? Saying 'no' more often? Taking longer vacations? Turning off the phone without wondering what might be happening while we’re unavailable? Or does slowing down have less to do with how much we do and more to do with becoming intentional about what receives our time??
I positively don’t want to stop being productive! I still completely enjoy helping people, finding solutions and doing work that matters. Real estate continues to challenge me, energize me and occasionally test every ounce of patience I possess!
But I also understand something now that I may not have understood years ago: every open space on the calendar does not need to be filled.
There should be room for family, friendships, travel, laughter and quiet afternoons that don’t produce anything measurable. There should be time to enjoy the life we worked so hard to build—not only maintain it.
Maybe slowing down doesn’t mean stepping away from everything that gives us purpose. Maybe it means releasing the things we’ve carried out of habit, obligation or the belief that everything will fall apart if we aren’t personally holding it together. It means choosing what still matters—and giving ourselves permission to put down what no longer does.
I’m still learning this. I suspect many of us are. After a lifetime of working, perhaps the goal isn’t to stop. Perhaps it’s to create a life in which our work has a place—but no longer takes up every available space.
THE THING I KNOW NOW: Slowing down isn’t about becoming less useful. It’s about becoming more thoughtful about where we choose to be useful.
Has your relationship with work changed over the years—or are you still figuring out what slowing down means for you--or do you even want to slow down?
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