The Importance of Slowing Down as a Leader
The world is in a constant state of hustle. We are in a constant state of hustle. We are constantly being bombarded with ads, influencers and social media feeds that drive us to want to be better, do better and want better. Lately, I’ve been asking myself, “what is better”? What does that truly mean to me? What does it mean to you?
See, the algorithms that power the ads, influencers, and social media feeds we consume on a daily basis are designed to be that way. They are designed to learn about us, to eventually know us better than we know ourselves, to predict our behaviors and buying patterns and to fuel our desires by instilling FOMO if we don’t act immediately. We give it that power over us every single day.
It’s why our days start with avocado toast, why everything has become an aesthetic, and why we spend hours on Pinterest scouring the latest trends and carefully curating our boards to build out what we believe our lives should look like instead of actually living them. We all do this. It’s in our nature to be curious. It’s in our nature to want to fit in.
Even as a leader you struggle with this. I know I do. But as a leader it’s not about the latest fashion or home decor trends, or what Aunt Suzan said on Facebook the other day. Instead, you’re bombarded with click-bait articles promoting “get rich quick” schemes disguised as helpful advice. You’re scrolling endless TikToks and Reels from “relatable” creative entrepreneurs, content creators, and influencers telling you that if you want to be successful then this is how you should run your blog or business.
You have watched webinar after webinar trying to stay on top of SEO trends, algorithm changes, and to learn anything you can to get a leg up. You’re drowning in your to-do list of articles to write, podcasts to record, videos to shoot, posts to create for social media, and the other side hustles you want to invest in on top of your 9–5.
Is your head swimming yet?
Too bad. If you’re going to make it, if you’re going to make loads of money, if you’re going to influence others, then you have to do all of that, right? Hustle harder!
No, absolutely not.
I want you to take a second here and breathe.
You don’t have to run yourself into the ground trying to make everything work for you. The truth is, not everything will, and just because some chick on TikTok can dance and spill her “content creation knowledge” at the same time doesn’t mean you can, or should, or should even want to.
As a leader, I know you feel overwhelmed as though you have personally been tasked with taking on all the world’s problems and have to find a solution for them by 2p.m. today or we’re all toast. But that’s not the case. It’s not the case for the Elon Musk or the Jeff Bezos types of the world. And it’s certainly not the case for you.
You started this journey, whether that’s starting a blog or business, because you realized you had the potential in you to change someone’s life with the knowledge you have. You pride yourself on being a leader because you don’t follow the status quo, so don’t follow it here either! As a leader, you have the expertise and strength to go your own way. Just because someone else is seeing success with one form of content, doesn’t mean you have to jump in on it to also be successful.
To forge your own path to success I implore you to slow down. Calm your mind and ground yourself in your purpose for starting this journey in the first place. Remove all the preconceived notions you have from the endless TikToks, webinars and articles you’ve consumed recently.
Let’s take a step back for a minute and revisit the question I posed at the beginning of the article. What does “better” mean to you? Success is subjective. So is the concept of “better”. The only person who should define these things for you is you. To define this for yourself, you need to take a step back and recall why you started in the first place.
For me, I started my blog to make extra money. I want extra money because I want to afford my husband the opportunity to work from home (like I do) so we can spend the quality family time with our son that we want. As someone who has been trying to stay afloat among the content creation chaos of the digital world, I can tell you that this is definitely not the way to my personal success, happiness, or “better” life. My ultimate goal is quality time with my family. The last thing I want to do is waste what precious time I do have worrying if I have enough followers, buyers, views, shares, etc.
So, I’ve taken a step back to center myself on why I’m even writing these articles in the first place, and in doing so I’ve found that it’s been easier to write and create when I do it from a place of abundance instead of fear. I hope that’s what slowing down will bring you too. That no matter where or what kind of content you create, whether it’s for a blog or business, or what leadership path you’ve chosen for yourself — I hope you will pursue it from a place of abundance.
If there is anything that you take away from this post, I hope it’s one of these key lessons I’ve learned recently:
- You don’t have to be there for everyone, everywhere, all of the time
- If you don’t nourish yourself first, you can’t nourish others
- Success is intrinsic and you have to define what that means to you if you’re ever going to achieve it
Finally, I want to leave you with some actions you can take today to start slowing down and creating the life you desire.
First, create a routine that makes you happy. If that includes avocado toast and yoga in the morning then great. If not, define what that looks like to you and implement it! Don’t wait to try and figure out if that fits a certain aesthetic or not. Just do it.
Embrace the power of “no”. Saying no to tasks or responsibilities that don’t empower you gives you more room in your schedule to find the things that do. Saying no can also include not checking emails right away, or immediately scrolling social media and news feeds when you get up. Do what feels right here.
Enjoy the slower periods throughout your day. If you’re a high functioning person like me, then slow periods throughout your day seem like the perfect opportunity to squeeze in something else from your to-do list or to add another side hustle to fill the void. Don’t fall into this trap. Intentionally allow yourself to have these slow periods. You might feel bored at first, but rest is good for spirit, mind and body. Don’t underestimate it.
After you have re-discovered your why, set realistic expectations for yourself, and enjoyed a few moments of peace and quiet, you will find that slowing down fills you up. It gives you more space to be present, creative, passionate, and abundant with your work. Remember, your life won’t look the same as someone else’s. It shouldn’t. As a leader, you shouldn’t want it to.
Take the opportunity to embrace everything you are today. You deserve it.
