Ampersand Answers: Velocity

There is more to life than increasing its speed.

Anonymous 

The Question: 

How can I make a better pace for myself?  

&mpersand Answers: 

This anonymous goodie came from my Mary Engelbreit page-a-day calendar, and its truth just zings off the page of her illustration. 

Oh, but we are addicted to our velocities, aren’t we? In fact, most of us want to go faster, be better, fly higher.  

One of the ways we motivate speed in life is to observe how quickly others do the same things we are doing. As usual, I’m going to give you advice that counters the conventional wisdom. 

Quit comparing. In fact, attend to your own velocity and ignore the rest. If you do this, you’ll find a natural rhythm for each task that works for you unrelated to what anyone else is doing. 

Think about the logic of this for a minute. Let’s say you’re picking up your sweetie at the end of the day at the airport, and you want to have dinner all prepped before you leave for work so it all comes together easy-peasy when you get home. Well, that’s not the day you’re going to take your time chopping veggies. You’re gonna hotfoot through it because you want the day to go fast so you can go get the kiss that’s been promised you … 

There’s a reason velocities vary, dear one. Faster—think of that kiss—isn’t always better.

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