Stop and Smell the Roses—Why You Need to Slow Down and Enjoy Your Achievements

Our entire lives, we’re taught to work our fingers to the bone. We’re taught the importance of the grind; we’re taught to work and push through and focus on some abstract, eventual goal that we’ll achieve.
The issue, however, is that everyone’s goals look different. Everyone has a different idea of what it means to be successful. For some of us, it’s that white picket fence home in the suburbs. For others, it’s a penthouse in the big city. For others still, it’s the ability to travel and explore or work a job that fuels their passion.

What many of us struggle with, no matter how far we get, is stopping along the way. Whatever your goals might be, it’s important to appreciate the journey you took to arrive there.
 

The Importance of Slowing Down

Think of life as a road trip—you’re going down the freeway and are determined to reach your final destination at a set time and date. You push through, drive nights, only stopping to sustain yourself, never really pausing.

The drive is long but worth it because you’re finally where you need to be. What now? You made it right on time, but you ignored your kids’ pleas to stop for ice-cream, or your best friend wanted to grab some souvenirs from the towns you drove through. Perhaps your partner wanted to stop by a field and pose for a picture to mark this trip.
The importance of slowing down can’t be emphasized enough! You don’t want to reach the top of the mountain only to realize you missed the breathtaking views it offered along the way. Or that you left behind everyone else who was climbing alongside you.

It’s a lonely place to be. Slowing down is important so you can:

Reflect—On Your Personal and Professional Life

Reflecting on a regular basis allows you to put perspective on things you wouldn’t otherwise have realized. You get to see where you went wrong or what you’d do differently. This is important for your personal relationships as well as your professional success.

Celebrate Milestones

You need to celebrate, too! Small and big milestones, things you achieve and mountains you conquer are all wins. You share your happiness and bring loved ones on board for them, too. This way, everyone who matters in your life feels invested in your success instead of neglected and embittered.

Live in the Present

Tomorrow has yet to come, and yesterday is gone. Focus on what you have in the now, who’s by your side and what your decisions contribute to for the moment. Appreciate everything you’ve already got, and practice gratitude instead of thinking of upgrades.

Focus on Family and Friends

Again, the road to success can get lonely. Will it be worth it to miss your kids’ biggest milestones for meetings that could be postponed? Or missing dinner and drinks with your friends to work an extra shift? Not necessarily. Some things are necessary. Others are choices you make, and these choices push away people.

Appreciate Your Body and Mind

Our bodies and minds are incredibly complex machines that need to slow down. They give us signals through burnout, mental health, exhaustion and so many other ways. You don’t drive 50 miles with the check engine light glaring at you, do you?
 
Success is important, but real success is finding a balance. Catch more inspirational content by wellness speaker and Hall of Fame member Steve Rizzo on his blog. If you’d like to hire Steve as a professional keynote speaker, you can contact his team here.