Happy Thanksgiving, happy autumn. The air is getting a little cooler and I’m looking forward to taking some more writing time out of my day – something that seems to be harder for me when it’s warm outside and more hours of day light. Now for this week’s links and good reads…
Why should the Slow Man concern himself with finding your personal style?
The answer is in something I will repeat frequently as I work my way through this slow chamber of secrets: beware of the fast, cheap, and easy — it rarely ends up being any of the three. That goes for style as well.
Style is hard. Achieving a sense of style, finding and maintaing a balance within it – none of it is easy. Trying to do it cheaply cheapens yourself. Any fast attempt at it will lead you down shortcuts that will deprive you of the joy of learning about yourself. Finding your personal style isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. [click to continue…]
Last week, I was finally able to get this site back up after a tragic data loss the week before. I felt a lot like Ali in the picture above (RIP, Joe Frazier). Now that things are back to normal, I am going to get back into a rhythm with articles. Coming soon … posts on achieving personal style, awesome things about whiskey, and more. And now, onto some great content I came across on the Internet and elsewhere:
I recently wrote about how I came to learn about the power of the Pause. I capitalized that because it’s just not used enough. Too many people speaking before they actually know what they want to say. Too many off-the-cuff remarks getting us into out-of-control situations. Too many people jumping over each other just to get a word in.
Are you a people pleaser? Do you find yourself constantly getting into situations where you agree to do things you would not normally do? Always feeling like you have to get something done just because someone asked you?
Can’t seem to get along with anyone? Constantly in mini-battles with coworkers, friends, and family? Always feeling like no one really “gets” you?
If any of this is true for you, I have a suggestion. It’s a small thing, but could give you a great deal more time and energy to be yourself and stop living your life reacting to everything around you.
It’s just one little word but it offers a great big movement towards slowing your life down a little bit and gaining back control. Ready for it?
Wherein I’ll be sharing with you links I’ve seen around the web, shared on my Twitter account or Tumblr. If you come across great reads about staying productive, looking good, or feeling good, feel free to send them along or share them in the comments.
This is a pretty easy one, but I see it all the time: Don’t run for the subway.
I’m not against running, but in the subway, it’s just a dumb thing to do. It’s the fast, quick and easy way to find yourself sprawled on the platform and possibly closer to the third rail than you wanted to.
Guess what: There’s another train coming behind it.
I’m not advocating tobacco consumption for those who are morally opposed to such things. What I am promoting is the idea that everyone should have a ritual, an escape from the quick pace that pushes you to and fro each day.
Here’s the idea: Take control of a part of your day and align it with something that pleases you, challenges your senses, and has finite dimensions, i.e., has a reasonable start and finish to it.
Not all things slow are bad. This isn’t necessarily a new idea – people have been touting the idea of slowing down for a long time. But every day, I’m reminded with proof that it’s worth repeating and reinforcing.
I can see why it’s been a tough sell over the years, especially when you take a look at definitions of the word “slow.” I don’t like what the dictionary has to say about the concept:
