The Benefits of Slowing Down & Shaking Things Up

I just returned from a family ski trip in Banff, Alberta. It was wonderful to spend time together as a family, and I was especially grateful to be able to get together with three generations of family members. Having time to slow down from the very busy, fast paced life most of us lead, and to pay attention to the three generations of love and success, left me feeling stable and inspired. 

I think it's important for all of us to slow down on a regular basis, but especially as leaders. Whether we claim the title of leader for ourselves or not, we all take on leadership roles in one way or another. Some of us take it on in the traditional sense, leading teams and employees on a daily basis. For others, leadership can be much more subtle, like deciding what to cook for dinner for your family and seeing it through, or showing a new employee the ropes during their first few shifts. It’s good for our well-being to take a step back from this role and pause some of the decision making and demand for our attention. 

For me, slowing down and rejuvenating looked like time away from work and home in a completely different physical environment, with new people to interact with. It looked like down-hill skiing and challenging myself in a way I normally don’t get the chance to. I found it to be a very effective way to reinspire myself. 

Photo by Daniel Frank from Pexels

Slowing down can provide us with opportunities to pause and reflect on our lives. We can use this time to identify what areas we’re happy in, and what areas could use some TLC. When we allow ourselves this breathing room, we can make better decisions, lower our anxiety and stress, and boost our creative juices. It can also help us to identify if we’re in need of a change or shift in perspective. 

Changing it up on a regular basis is a sure way to shift your perspective and help us to get out of any slumps we might be in. Everyone needs to shift perspective on a regular basis as it is how we can see our normal day to day in a whole new point of view.

I know from my own experience that this is a sure fire way to create something new in the world or create something new as a leader for the team. Some of my best ideas came from changing up my normal routine. It can be big things, like going on a trip and seeing and doing new things. But it can also be as simple as changing your dinner menu at home or taking a different route to work. 

The bottom line, find ways to change it up on a regular basis. Shake it up and something will shake out.