"To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of competing concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit to too many projects, to want to help everyone with everything, is itself to succumb to the violence of our times."
- Thomas Merton
Hello friends,
If there's one piece of advice I would give my younger self it's this; slow is fast, but fast is slow.
Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. When we go slow, we can better care for ourselves, and therefore provide a higher quality service. The rewards for high-quality work will come naturally and, to some degree, inevitably. Slowing down also helps us stay true to ourselves. When we are more aligned with our essence and purpose, it is so much easier to make a greater impact. The only way to stay true to ourselves is to find that quiet space inside.
Rushing is a sure sign of immaturity. Wise people know that hurrying leads to unnecessary actions, lack of finesse, and separation from our essence and purpose. And that's best case scenario.
That advice is a bit of wisdom from the martial arts that I've actually heard for years. Sometimes in our ambition, distraction and youthful energy it can be difficult to integrate these lessons into life. The difficulty of integrating lessons is itself is an example of the risk of rushing.
This season, as we celebrate the darkest days of the year and step into hibernation with our loved ones, my wish for you is a rest. My wish for you is to capture that time and space needed to slow down, reflect and deepen into yourself. That is the best thing we can possibly do for our clients and our community.
Progress Your Practice
Enjoy these tools that help my own healing and clients from trusted experts.
- Is work less stressful than rest? (10-min read)
If that's true for you, this article may be helpful. It's all about the false economy of pushing too hard. It is for hard changing people who struggle with taking a day off. My favourite is the re-frame of using "rest as a weapon".
- Ditch new year's resolutions in favour of yearly themes. (6-min watch)
Enjoy some lighthearted entertainment to assist your reflection and goal-setting process. We all know how successful (or not) new year's resolutions are. In this fun video, youtuber CGP Grey makes the case for choosing a theme instead. It's an idea I've shared with many clients.
- Meditations for therapists (3-10min guided)
If you could use a little guidance to help you create space, check out this selection of short meditations that are made by therapists specifically for professional helpers.
If you have feedback or resources to share, please reply to let me know.
Thanks for being here.
Gabriel
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I hope you enjoy it.