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    Tuesday, July 15, 2008

    Slowly

    On Sunday afternoon I was traveling on I90 towards Albany New York when this song started playing on the radio, the song completely captured my attention and changed the remainder of my drive back to Toronto. The song that played on the radio was Macy Gray - Slowly. Attached are the lyrics.

    SLOWLY
    Would it be so bad if we just stopped for a while
    And enjoyed the thrills we could all be still let the world just pass us by
    But it's all hurry hurry run run there's no time for this
    We want more and more got to win got to score so afraid of what we'll miss
    And it moves so fast
    Nothing lasts
    This too here will come to pass
    Wanna spend my days away from all the fuss
    Wanna spend them with you baby but you're in a rush

    Slowly
    Why can't we just take our time
    Slowly
    I wish that we could take our time

    Yeah we're all getting older realize there's no fountain of youth
    This is it came quick it's a lift it's a bitch it's your moment what you gonna do
    Yeah time would you be a friend oooh bless us with the chance
    To really grow up could you slow it up would you postpone the end
    Cuz you move so fast
    Nothing lasts
    This too here will come to pass
    Wanna spend my days away from all the fuss
    Wanna spend them with you baby but you're in a rush

    Slowly
    Why can't we just take our time
    Slowly
    I wish that we could take our time

    Cuz you move so fast
    Nothing lasts
    This too here will come to pass
    And it flies and it rolls like the storms and the thunders
    Stop and love me baby
    Our days are numbered

    Slowly
    Why can't we just take our time
    Slowly
    I wish that we could take our time

    Stop and love me baby
    Our days are numbered
    Take my time
    Slow it down
    Slowly

    ~~Macy Gray

    A few minutes after the song ended I noticed the bridge just ahead I was not in any hurry to cross the bridge this time, rather, I slowed down and enjoyed the beauty the stood just outside my car. The river below was surrounded with beautiful lush, green trees by the river bank, blooming flowers--it was truly a spectacular site.

    I later stopped at a service area to refuel and grab some grub. In the past I would run in, use the mens room, buy lunch, refuel and be back on the road within fifteen minutes. This time I took my time and slowed right down and ate lunch at at one of the tables instead of eating in the car while driving. Thirty minutes early, thirty minutes later, does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? No, It really does not matter. That was a thirty minute rest that I deserved.

    Route 90 travels through the historic farm country of the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York before running through the small towns on the shores of Cayuga Lake.

    Even as a Life Coach, I too recognize I need to slow down.
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    10 comments:

    Jenny Mannion said...

    Hi Bruno, I LOVE Macy Gray and am happy the message resonated with you as well. yes, we could all use to slow down! I live in upstate NY -- a NYC transplant and I have adjusted well to the slower pace of life but there are still times when I catch myself rushing and am working on it! Thanks for the beautiful lyrics and post! Gratefully, Jenny

    jena strong said...

    "Even as a life coach" - I'd say "Especially!"

    Beautiful post. Thanks.

    Traisas said...

    Nice little story :) On my recent trip out to Ottawa and Montreal, though the drives were long, I found myself trying to enjoy the scenery as much as possible.

    You're right when you say that 30 minutes early or late does not really matter in the grand scheme. Every moment spent not noticing and enjoying the world around you is a moment wasted.

    Laura ~Peach~ said...

    excellent post... and oh so true!!

    Mona said...

    really nice post bruno!

    here is an excerpt from a song that i love called "Chasing Cars" from Snow Patrol...similar theme:

    "If I lay here
    If I just lay here
    Would you lie with me
    And just forget the world?"

    Anonymous said...

    Imagine what life would be like without the convenient service stations. Think back to horse and buggy days, bicycle travel or other ways of getting 'to and fro.' Its all about choosing to slow down or speed up. Getting to a destination isn't limtied to the car or motor vehicles. People don't realize that they can be walking contraditctions. If you talk about slowing down, then speed down the road, your idea of thinking, talking doing aren't the same thing. What of consistency?

    Bart Treuren said...

    sounds a bit like one of the last scenes in the film "being human" with robin williams, in which the lead character is told by his daughter when sitting on the beach and wondering about life in general "this is it, dad, this is all there is"... in slowing down and accepting the moment, we learn to see the present for what it is, disassociated from the past and future and being totally "now"...

    hope this makes sense, i enjoyed reading your experience here... thank you :-))

    KatiaYoga said...

    Wonderful post! Thank you for sharing your experience and the song lyrics! This is something that I think about often, as it's pretty difficult to ignore the speed at which we are expected to move every day. Instead of getting stuck in the rut of 'work-home-sleep-eat-shower-work-home-sleep-eat-shower-etc.,' we can all benefit from slowing down to really live, rather than simply exist according to the rules of someone else. Thank you, Bruno! Have a wonderful day!

    Bruno LoGreco said...

    I personally believe that we all zoom around like busy bees—the trick is to catch ourselves and to remind ourselves to slow down. We are all human, and sometimes we need to the subtle reminders like Macy Gray – Thanks Jenny!

    Thanks Jena! Yes, especially as a life coach – but as I always say, I too am human – I live and learn with each passing day ☺

    You are wise traisas – to have the ability to slow yourself down in your twenties is huge. I’m not sure I had it in me in my twenties to slow down. I had places to go, people to see, things to do, and a mission to accomplish.
    I am thankful that I could enjoy the world around me now, although I still do have my moments.

    Thanks Laura!

    Beautiful Song mona! The words sound like someone is talking to themselves. I know when I forget to journal for a few days, when I do go back and journal, oddly enough the last line I write is, “Don’t forget about me”

    Not sure I’m following you Liara –

    I do bart – It totally makes sense. Thank you!

    Thank for your comment nature’s secret whisper – it sometimes becomes tough to breakout of old habits especially when you don’t realize you are stuck. When we breakthrough and change the habits we start to march to the beat of our own drum.

    Sue said...

    Another odd timing one.

    This past week I have seen my hometown in a new light. I have lived here for almost 30 years, and never once felt as if I was seeing it from an outsider's point of view. This week, I did just that, and I couldn't believe how beautiful and blessed this area is!!!

    It's made me slow down and appreciate what I have here.

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    Ten Powerful Self-Coaching Tips

    By Bruno LoGreco

    Are you living the life of creativity and happiness that you've always dreamed of, or are you allowing your fears or other outside factors to influence you?

    Following the path that your heart's desires requires courage and might require a shift in attitude. There are several methods you can use to act as your own life coach and start working toward the life you dream of.

    Ideas for self-improvement

    You don't need to change every aspect of your life at once in order to improve your attitude and outlook on life. Self-improvement can feel daunting if you try to change everything at once.

    A good way to embark on your journey of self-coaching is to make one change and see what kind of impact it has upon your life. The following tips are designed to help you improve your life and become your own life coach. Try out one of the following tips at a time to positively impact your attitude and daily life.

    1. Find some ‘you' time. Everyone needs time alone to meditate and recharge. You may think you don't have extra time in your day. Start with 10-20 minutes to use for meditation or silent reflection.

    2. Ask yourself what you truly want in life. Are you living your life according to your true dreams and desires? You may be unaware of your desires that lie hidden beneath your surface needs and wants, so take the time to find out.

    3. Write everything down. Even if your thought seems silly, write it down! You may be surprised by the inspiration and ideas you can come up with.

    4. Journal daily, but with a twist. Instead of just writing about today, try writing about yesterday.

    5. Keep track of the "happy moments." Each day has potential for many small moments that bring joy and happiness. If you don't make a special note of them, you may not even recognize the small joys in your day.

    6. Choose one task each night to complete the next day. This way, you have focus, and you accomplish at least one task. Tasking and taxing yourself with effort is important in reaching goals.

    7. Smile when you wake up. Smiling is contagious. By smiling you improve your mood and can potentially improve someone else's day as well.

    8. Give thanks each night. Gratitude will improve your outlook on life and help you see all the good and wonderful moments of your day.

    9. Try something new. A new experience fuels creativity and your enjoyment of the day.

    10. Create at least one memorable moment each day. Make each day unforgettable, even if in a small way!

    Taking the next step with a life coach

    Self-coaching tips are great ideas for helping you improve your life. However, you can take your life to the next level with a life coach and mentor. A professional life coach can help you set goals and help you move forward with your dreams. If you're looking for the right path toward happiness, a life coach can help you discover the path your heart truly desires.

    Want to learn more about self-improvement? Bruno LoGreco is a Life Coach Toronto and mentor. Visit BrunoLoGreco.com and find out how to unleash your potential for success and happiness.

    The Success Indicators on Your Life Path

    Many people seek out a particular goal in their life path and are content when they achieve it. The chance to broaden their horizons or learn new things within an existent structure is not as appealing to them as it is to some others. This is an issue that arises in many individuals because they mistakenly think they have achieved what they wanted to in their lives. The plethora of environmental noise around them begins to infringe upon their goals and forces them to lose sight of what they truly wanted.

    A good way to think of this problem is to envision a large square box. This is not just any box though. Rather, in this case, your box has been divided into three separate, but equally shaped rectangular boxes, all stacked on top of one another. Each of these rectangular boxes is a highly important expression of your life goals -- individual levels of success. Within each of these levels of success is an indicator that tells you how close you are to becoming successful in this area of your life.

    Every area of your life that you identify as a potential path for success can be further divided, containing the many different events and obstacles you will encounter as you strive to reach your goals. Think of each sector of your life as being divided even further, with three new sections within one of the three stacked boxes (sectors). Within each stacked box are three separate sections, divided by dotted lines that make up the life path you will follow. These dotted lines are not the same as the solid lines dividing the sectors -- they are a path that you have envisioned since childhood -- a series of goals and pathways to success that you want to follow.

    As young people, these life paths may not be fully formed. Or they might be crystal clear in our minds--long, straight life paths from the early days of college and adult living to the ultimate goal of success that you have always strived for. You can see exactly what you need to do to reach each success indicator and achieve what you have set out to accomplish. And you probably did just this. After all, your goals as a youth were to be successful in the same way that you saw thousands of others live their lives. You wanted to reach your success indicators and experience the measure of success by which you would measure you life for decades to come.

    However, nothing is ever as simple as we envision it during youth. There are countless factors that interfere with your ability to clearly see those success indicators and life paths to success. These factors, or "Environmental Noise," can be detrimental to even the most focused of individuals. Think of what would happen if you dumped the contents of downtown New York into your box and tried to maintain your focus on those goals. Would you even be able to see your life path anymore?

    Everyone must travel their life path with environmental noise inundating them from all sides. It begins to become cloudy. The dotted lines, our life paths, begin to look like the straight lines and the success indicators start to be confused with any number of different distractions.

    And then something will happen and you will realize that you are in fact nowhere near the original success indicators you set for yourself. Everything has changed and yet you are stuck in a way. You are deep within the center of the middle rectangular box and you have no idea which way to go or how to get back on track. The noise only grows louder and you grow dizzy trying to regain your focus.

    It is in this instant that you must clear the noise and return to the basic, almost instinctive mode of thought you experienced as a child. What did you want from life? Where did you want to go? What do you need to get to that point? What was my life path? All of these questions must be asked without the distractions of the world around you muddying up your thought process. When you can revert to a very simple perspective of the world and only spend time thinking of what you want from life, you can be that much more successful.

    You can succeed in life despite the environmental noise, cruising down your life paths and moving through your rectangles with ease, but oftentimes you need a helping hand to clear away the noise and look at life with fresh eyes. There is nothing wrong with asking for help to weed out these distractions and remove the clutter from your life sectors with a professional life coach.

    Is your life path inundated with environmental noise? Learn how you can lift the noise and begin reestablishing your success indicators today. Visit www.brunologreco.com a Life Coach Toronto today.

    Chapters.ca

    Top 10 Benefits to Journaling

    By Bruno Logreco

    There are countless reasons to maintaining a journal. The top ten benefits of journaling may differ from person to person. However, there seems to be general themes that are attractive in the collective unconscious. Many people are looking to daily entries of their personal experiences to reap some of the following rewards.

    Maintaining a journal is a natural way to exercise the brain. People who make regular entries are taking time to develop writing and communication skills that are very valuable in everyday interactions. This mental exercise also helps to allow your thoughts to flow freely.

    Creativity is a second benefit to consider. This is an important aspect of journaling. The right hemisphere of the brain is associated with visual, imaginative and intuitive facets of thought. When you take time to write, you free the right hemisphere. The ideal entry will be one that puts the inner editor on hold. Thoughts and ideas should flow freely and naturally.

    The uninhibited nature of this form of writing serves a third benefit of developing self awareness. People often create different faces to meet various circumstances. We tend to recreate in distinct situations including the work environment, the community and even when at home.

    The process of keeping a journal helps you recognize the various aspects of your unique personality. The growing self awareness is a powerful force that can lead to even greater benefits in the future. Gaining insight into the self is among the most important aspects to maintaining a journal.

    The fourth benefit is the ability to set priorities. Once you get a grasp on the thoughts and emotions that are filtered through your personal experience, you begin to gain control of them. The process eventually leads to a greater understanding of what is and what is not important.

    The ability to re-see the past is another great benefit of keeping a journal. The pages can be revisited with a fresh perspective. It can be very surprising how much your understanding of an event changes over a relatively short period of time. Some writers find great moments of epiphany when rethinking and rereading entries.

    Journaling is a fantastic problem-solving resource. The approach of using entries to come up with various solutions to troubles is a little different than approaches for self awareness and growth. Many people choose temporary brainstorming techniques that serve to give viable solutions to problems.

    The seventh benefit of journaling is variety. You can choose what kind of entries you want to make. Common choices include brainstorming sessions, automatic writing and reflective notes. Personal journal entries can be made upon inspiration, when you first wake or right before you fall asleep. Some choose to do a combination of these.

    Purging is the eighth benefit to this practice. Many people find it helpful to place negative thoughts and feelings down on paper. Once the negative energy is placed on the page, they are free to let it go. This practice also works well when dealing with anger towards another individual. Purge the negativity and work towards a constructive approach.

    The ability to communicate with others is another benefit of keeping a journal. Those who work with life coaches can find a wealth of resources for sessions. Journaling can help you tap into your fears and dreams, helping your coach gain insight through entries that you choose to share.

    The tenth benefit is improvement in your overall health. Journaling reduces stress. It provides time for you to meditate. The process helps to make the positive forces in your life surface and it helps to bring the harmful elements into light. The result of personal journaling is a new perspective on how you can take control of many aspects of your life.

    Want to learn how online journaling can help you reach goals and problem solve? Learn more about life coach Toronto at brunologreco.com and journaling at iijournal.

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