It is important to take time to acknowledge the work we’ve done. Even if it is taking just a moment to enjoy reaching a certain goal or project milestone.
Last Friday I closed stage 2 of a yet unannounced 3-stage project. My natural reaction was, “great, that’s done… now what’s my next task?”, and crack on. But, I had a revelation the day before about returning to a way of being in the world, which is about appreciating the present and not constantly focusing on the future. Things like: walking just a fraction slower to get somewhere and feeling the sun on my back, and not eating my lunch at my desk while continuing to work, but taking the time to enjoy lunch for what it is – a break in the day, a moment to reflect, and time to relax and refuel.
So with a return to this mindset, at 3pm on Friday I made the decision to celebrate the end of stage 2 with my favourite Italian hot chocolate at Campos. I took half an hour, that’s all, half an hour out of my entire life so far, to reflect on that project milestone, celebrate our achievements and think about the final stage. It was also half an hour where I could breathe, smile, relax and immerse myself whole-heartedly in that velvety, chocolatey drink with absolute enjoyment.
As I move through life, I find myself caught between ‘fast’ and ‘slow’. ‘Fast’ is where I feel there is so much to do and I have so much excitement for doing it that I want to keep pushing myself to achieve more. And ‘slow’ is where I feel connected to what I am doing, the world I’m living in and the people in my life. In ‘slow’ I breathe more freely and enjoy more deeply.
So, I went home, after my delicious Italian hot chocolate and completed another couple of hours work, crossing tasks off lists – with a smile on my face…