Slowing Down

Nov 8, 20224 min read

Updated: Nov 8, 2022

"It's okay to move slowly, provided you don't stop." - Ryan Holiday in the great book, Discipline is Destiny

The following is a list of person/places/things that, upon reflection, slow me down naturally. To get geeky, the ones with the asterisks sign indicate the ones in experiment. Additionally, the ones with the (*) have proven to not do well when I speed.

If slowing down is the denominator (x-axis) and noun is the numerator (y-axis) then the relationship between the two will exponentially improve. A self-tailored hypothesis.

Shhh.. when I was teaching and really trying to hammer in the if/then statement, I would literally go through 200 pages of reports and just search for those words, the easiest two points. They still haunt me to this day.

If I slow down... then:

*drawing

*free diving

certain humans

*human relationships

*lifting

long term goals

signing a contract

near death experiences

baths paired with staring

*scrabble

staring at moss

learning to ride a motorcycle

*braiding

watching planet earth

(*) will improve.

I had the honor to be a timer for one of my free-diving friends who is currently training to become an officer in the military last Sunday (complete badass). One of the tasks was to swim from shallow to deep without a mask, find her snorkel and mask, then correctly put it on seamlessly while at depth, approach surface and tread until I gave her the "okay" sign to reach the edge.

After three trials we discussed reasons for her improvements. Yep, you guessed it, slowing down. We talked about how panic can creep in or the thoughts of the examiners judging from above can send you into a complete "brain freeze." How do we combat this?

One task at a time. It was remarkable.

Task one, swim to gear. Task two, snorkel under legs. Task three... and so on.

When we are in the action, trust your action. The mind likes to think about what is next, which is generally when I, what I like to call, the leaky valve opens. This is that small opening where everything and anything can get in; like an open wound to the microbes. So what do we do... address it immediately or, in the case of the wound, dress it immediately.

For our Badass in training to be a rescue diver, we decided to give the mind the thought of the immediate next task (put mask on, but check for nose indent so it is on the right way).

Sounds simple, right?

If you are like me, this is definitely not the case. This requires extreme discipline; thousands of thoughts will cripple my mind leaving me essentially useless to myself and anyone else and I cannot stand that feeling.

Discipline is Destiny.

Define discipline: to train or develop by instruction and exercise especially in self-control. (google)

Define destiny: the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future. (google)

Do I want to be the best I can be? Of course.

Training is hard, especially in self-control. Completing a program called #75Hard last year put me through the ringer. I couldn't drink anymore, had to drink a gallon of water a day, read 10 pages, take a flipping picture of my nearly naked body everyday, and more. I think this is truly where the journey of discipline has started for me (and I have a long way to go). It allowed me to experience what the art of patience, commitment and repetition can do for someone.

Do I still think that certain things are "destined?" I'll admit it, yes. I think it was destined that my body drove my entire life through the ALCAN to be here in Alaska. I think it was destined that I met my best friends that one blistery winter day in a hot sauna.

I believe events and people we meet are destined (both positive/negative) but it is the discipline to act on that thereafter; one in which we live a life of Disciplined Destiny. You know, destined you found the lemon tree, disciplined to start making lemonade and selling it at the corner every hot sunny day you're given! I'll pay double every time for those tiny entrepreneurs.

Here we see the quote I resonate with, "It's okay to move slowly, provided we don't stop." -Ryan Holiday in his book (on audio too). You will not only see results, you will feel results. "TRUST THE NOSE PIECE ON THE MASK is indicating it is in the right position!" ....and keep going. You will succeed.

Ali's Seasoning Time:

I'm not in the water everyday right now but I am not stopping. I am merely slowing down to a practice where slowing down is the way to best experience free-diving. I believe certain circumstances that have recently happened were destined; now I have to ask myself just how disciplined I will be to make it.

I absolutely love free-diving, there really isn't any other poetic way to say it. This practice in particular gives me NO other option than to have to think about the immediate next task. My life is on the line otherwise.

I can confidently say, free-diving has brought me back to life. With the disciplined practice of breath holds in the morning, recognizing signs of hypoxia and slowing down, my relationship to not only the water but more importantly myself is dramatically improving.

Being under water brings about silence; I move down on one breath, listen to the tasks of my body speaking to me and I am gifted with the under water museum of art.

I am most present here and most quiet, a beautiful reminder.

The final task of the dive, my next breath.

Inhale, exhale.

Do it again...

this time, slower.