It took me years to declutter and downsize, pay off debt and start saving and giving, and even longer to leave my job and grow a business doing work I truly love. There were other things I did to live a healthier, simpler life, but none of them happened overnight. My transformation was an inch by inch, month by month, one at a time, year after year of consistent, slow change.
My progress was slow but each change inspired the next. The best thing about my slow pace is that it was low stress. And, since eliminating stress was my focus, it seemed silly to do it any other way. Why make myself sick and exhausted making changes at an unsustainable pace trying to be healthier and happier?
We’ve all tried the fast and furious, strive for immediate gratification kind of habit change and it never works. We always end up trying to make the same change over and over again. Or, we give up on the change all together even though the change was never the problem. It was our approach to change.
A case for simplifying slowly
Ironically, it took me a really long time to figure out that simplifying slowly works faster than simplifying fast. I will always choose slow and steady over fast and furious because:
- Simplifying slowly sticks.
- Simplifying slowly lowers stress.
- Simplifying slowly allows time to learn and grow.
- Simplifying slowly actually works.
Slow progress is still progress. It’s not how fast we get there but that we arrive in good condition … that’s what really matters.
