I guess that's not entirely accurate since I'm typing this blog post but you get what I mean.

I don't remember the last time I just relaxed like this. I have always been about getting things done and being productive but these last couple of days in Bali really made me realize the importance of slowing down.

Our society (in New York at least) values productivity and living life quickly. It seems that the faster you can live your life, the more "competent" you are. Unfortunately there are some dangers to always living life on the fast lane:

You are going to break down

Whether it's our car, our computer or our body. If we run at full speed all the time, we're going to break down. In certain situations, full speed may be appropriate but for the most part we're better off slowing down to our optimal speed, which is almost always not our top speed. Even at our ideal speed, rest is necessary to make sure our bodies recover. Are you fitting rest into your schedule?  If not, read How to Sleep Your Way to Success by clicking here.

You will miss things

When I was in Japan and rode the bullet train (Shinkansen) from Kyoto to Tokyo, I found it interesting that I can see the scenery if I looked ahead but when I looked sideways out the window, everything was a blur. Although moving fast will help us get to our destination faster, we often miss  interesting things along the way. How often do we really "stop to smell the roses"?

You will become a boiled frog

To boil a frog, we cannot just put it in hot water because it'll jump out right away. To successfully boil a frog, we must gradually turn up the temperature. When the temperature rises slowly, the frog does not perceive the change and will stay in the water until it is fully cooked. When we move at a fast pace, we're not much different from a frog because we become insensitive to gradual changes in our lives. How many people are unaware of their bad health and deteriorating relationships until it's too late?

Slowing down does not always mean doing our tasks slower. It is more about being in the present moment as opposed to always moving towards the future. We do not know what is going to happen tomorrow so why not make sure we take some time to enjoy ourselves in the present moment as opposed to deferring it all for the uncertain future.

Remember the tortoise and the hare? Be the tortoise.

The post The Benefits to Slowing Down Your Life appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

If you think sleep is a luxury for people with nothing to do, this article is for you.

In our society today, sleep has become equated with the lazy and we view those who can function with 4 or less hours of sleep as superheroes or hard workers deserving a badge of honor. I used to think the same way. In college, I always touted the fact that I pulled  frequent all-nighters but was yet still able to survive. The ability to function with little sleep was a desired trait.

How wrong I was...like my Econ 101 professor always said, "There is no such thing as a free lunch." It is not possible to be sleep deprived and perform at your best. In The Power of Full Engagement, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz found that the difference between the top performing athletes and the mediocre ones was that the best knew how to rest effectively. Just take a look at your own experience and think back to the days you had ample sleep versus the days you didn't. I have yet to meet anyone that told me they performed better with less sleep than with more.

I know what you're thinking ... how am I going to find the time to sleep 7-8 hours daily and still do everything that I want to do. This is a question that I struggled with myself. I have so many things to do and so little time but through the tracking of my daily tasks and hours of sleep, I have found that I get more things done in a week where I have enough sleep versus a week when I am sleep deprived. It is true that I may get more things done on the day I sleep only a few hours but I am a lot less productive the next couple of days.

This is when I decided that it is more productive to sleep and that sleeping is actually one of the key factors to success and healthy lifestyle. I am now averaging over 7 hours of sleep and getting more done than ever. What helped me let go of the opportunity cost of sleeping was to make ample rest one of the goals I want to achieve. Once I put sleep on my to-do list, I didn't treat it as something I can put off in the name of completing my goals. As with my other goals, I track it daily to make sure I am aware of it even on my busiest days.

I think we have all experienced the benefits of sleep. If you haven't, check out this article: The Three Reasons Why You Should Sleep More.

So if you're reading this late at night, GET SOME SLEEP. It'll do wonders for your life and your complexion.

The post How to Sleep Your Way to Success appeared first on Embrace Possibility.