New Year, Slower Me

The new year is flying by - is already the last full week of January. I normally would have my goal setting already in place, however if cancer has taught me anything, it has taught me to slow down. One of the big thing that has changed from 2022 to 2024 is my professional role. I moved from Blue Planet Foundation to UH Foundation. The role and responsibilities are very different yet I am excited to try something new. I have a brand new team and I feel so lucky to have such strong supportive team members. Another change is I started practicing ceramics again - but this time, instead of trying to put pressure on myself to “perform” I have embraced the idea of slowing down and just learning, to learn. To have fun. (Old Jenn would try to get good and monetize all hobbies). This new way of thinking is not always easy as I want to be good - and be good fast. However, ceramics is truly an art. You cannot rush art, and you need to breathe, slow down and concentrate. Lots of new things have come into my life from hobbies, habits and my career.

Whenever I start something new, I think about the Daily Stoic, and the idea that the foundational rule of Stoicism is to limit emotional responses to any situation. Sometimes this is hard for me. I struggle with being passionate and patient. Running at a million miles per hour and yet slowing down to be intentional. I remind myself that I am human and it is ok. In Stoicism, moderation is passive; it is how you react to the world. Your response should never be extreme, even in the most extreme circumstances.

Instead of trying to avoid change, we ought to welcome the possibility. And, as long as we do not overreact to whatever the change may be, we can learn from it and grow with the change. Thinking like this is easy to read/understand, and harder to implement in our every day. One way I plan to practice this, is practicing yoga more. Adding movement in my every day. Allowing myself to remind me, my career is important, and so is my physical and mental health. Rushing into things will not make anything go faster. Slowing down, being intentional and managing expectations is the best way to reframe how to work. While I tell myself this each year - it is about how I live my life. Before time slips away, I have decided to slow down, starting today and taking time to breathe before I rush on to the next thing.