Sometimes Slowing Down Is the Only Way to Move Forward

The other morning I was driving and had just merged onto the highway.

I ended up in the right lane behind a line of cars moving a little slower than I wanted to go. There was a semi truck to my left, another behind that one, and I was sitting there trying to figure out how I was going to get over into the left lane.

At first I was doing what most of us do.

Waiting. Watching. Hoping the cars ahead would move a little faster so I could slip around the truck who was most definitely not changing his speed.

And then I noticed something.

If I actually wanted to move into the faster lane, the smartest thing to do wasn’t to keep pushing forward.

It was to slow down enough to create the space I needed to move over.

And of course my mind immediately did what it tends to do – it connected that moment to life in general.

When Your Energy Naturally Moves Fast

Some people are wired to move quickly.

I know I am.

If you know anything about Human Design, I’m a Manifestor, which means my energy tends to move in bursts. When something feels clear to me, my instinct is to go.

There’s momentum. Excitement. Movement.

And most of the time that works really well.

But sometimes that same energy can turn into pressure.

I wasn’t late that morning. I wasn’t frustrated. I wasn’t thinking “get out of my way.”

But I could feel the push in my energy.

It was subtle, but it was there.

Even when we’re not thinking it out loud, the energy we carry shapes how we move through situations – and how we experience them.

The Small Pause That Changes Everything

So I did something simple.

I backed off the gas.

Took a breath.

Let the moment be what it was instead of trying to force it to change.

And within a few seconds, the space opened up that I needed to move into the other lane.

As simple as it was, that moment was a powerful reminder of how often we try to push our way through things.

We try to force timing.

Force progress.

Force results.

When sometimes all that’s needed is a small pause.

A temporary slowdown.

Just enough space for the next step to reveal itself.

Patience…

Slowing down requires patience.

And patience isn’t always comfortable – especially when part of us wants to keep pushing forward.

If I had been completely focused on getting somewhere by a certain time that morning, I probably would have stayed in that pushing energy.

But pushing our way through life rarely makes the experience better.

Faster doesn’t always mean better.
And pressure has a way of draining the joy out of the moment.

Slowing down doesn’t mean you’re losing momentum.

Sometimes it’s the very thing that creates the opening for your next step.

Just like that moment on the highway when the instant I eased off the gas, the space appeared exactly where I needed it.

Because that’s something I’ve had to practice again and again.

Sometimes the only way to move forward faster…
is to slow down first.