Are you doing enough?
Slowing Down amidst Urgency
In the face of rapid ecological breakdown, obscene inequality and impending doom, one question haunts so many of us who deeply care about the world:
Am I doing enough?
The voices in our heads tell us to move quicker, act swifter, do more, be more. Stopping is not an option. ‘NOW is the time for action, otherwise XYZ will happen. The window is closing.’ Even if we’re tired, the voices say we must keep going. And so we keep on running — rushing to places, filling our calendars, multiplying our outputs, doing all the right things — only to feel like it’s never quite enough.
Why is the planet not shifting faster?, we wonder.
And so we keep on pushing, hurrying and worrying — until, one day, we are forced to stop. Out of exhaustion. Despair. Burnout. Disease. Out of the painful realization that our efforts haven’t gotten us where we want to be and we don’t quite know what to do.
It’s like Charles Eisenstein describes in his book Climate: A New Story; humanity is frantically trying to find its way out of a maze, only to land at the starting point over and over again. Exhaustion eventually brings about surrender, and a deeper journey begins. Only as humanity slows down and tunes in, a melody reveals itself that has always been there, illuminating a path forward previously unseen.
Yes, our crisis is very, very real. But — what if our sense of urgency is part of the very problem? Are we trying to fix or solve something that can’t be fixed or solved? Are we approaching this crisis with a mindset that has led to this crisis in the first place?
I really want to challenge you here: Are we possibly doing too much? Are you possibly doing too much?
See, our world as it currently functions favours tangible, measurable and quantifiable action. At our present level of consciousness, action is all we know when it comes to getting things done, solving a problem, tackling a crisis. The more and the faster the action, the better. It’s a very linear way of thinking. What we’re usually not aware of is that action can be detrimental, too, when it comes from the ‘wrong’ place.
Action that comes from a place of non-alignment is not sustainable.
Imagine you need to complete an important task for your boss, but because you’re rushing, you make so many mistakes. You need to go back and course-correct. Emails need to be sent. People need to be notified. More money and resources are spent. You lose time. The quality lowers. Clients are not happy. The boss is angry. You feel judged by your colleagues. Exhausted. Resentful. Too busy to reflect on why you are actually doing this job, for someone and something you don’t even care about!
The real problem is when action comes from a place of fear and worry. From obligation. You might say that a feeling of obligation to act on behalf of the planet is crucial and that you wish others had more of it. But then, why do so many burn out in this process? How do you know that this kind of action is not based on fear of what others think, of being abandoned by one’s activist circle? Or fear of not doing enough? While it is perfectly fine and healthy to feel fear, actions guided by it bring out more of it. Within and the world around. Fearful action almost always rushes, lives in the past and the future, doesn’t leave space to reflect, decreases the quality of output and leads to entropy. It compromises what’s possible.
Wu Wei — is a Daoist concept that means ‘non-doing’. Far from giving up or inaction, it’s the art of effortless action. It cuts right through our constant busyness and is a much-needed reminder that some things just can’t be achieved by trying harder, even when acting on behalf of something important! If we anchor ourselves in the present, we create space to flow with Nature, instead of imposing our will on it. Stop moving, and inspired action will take off. ‘Being’ leads to ‘right action’ — the Way of the Dao — where, without trying so hard, we enter a zone in which we can respond to a situation with calm and awareness, access profound concentration and skill, and enjoy the creative process without the pressure of expectation. When we don’t try to achieve and control, but slow down and pause instead, our ‘doing’ takes on impeccable quality and can move mountains. It almost doesn’t feel like doing; more like we are being done. A state of inter-being. We have realized our place within the cosmos.
Can you imagine that Wu Wei was a strategy practised within politics, business and the socio-political structures of ancient China? It’s hard for our minds and bodies to grasp this. So conditioned are we to a certain way of being and doing. It takes deep commitment and patience to undo our hustle and productivity conditioning. To slow down. As Lao Tzu said, Nature doesn’t hurry yet everything is accomplished.
More is not always more. Often, less is more.
The consciousness of our planet is changing. We are entering a new age, so naturally, the old ways are becoming harder to maintain. To the point that they’ll soon stop working completely. So if you find yourself in lots of worry and stress, feeling the weight of the world, overworking and feeling like it’s never enough, perhaps it’s Nature trying to tell you that this is no longer the way, that there is another. You are part of Nature, after all. It’s safe to slow down.
Do you feel worthy of simply being?
The planet cannot and doesn’t need to be saved. The world is not a machine that can be fixed. Life is not linear. Part of our dysfunctional, dying paradigm is that we want to measure everything, even that which is non-measurable.
Can you let go of trying to figure out whether your ‘doing’ is creating enough change? Can you trust that the tiniest invisible act coming from care ripples out and creates change far beyond what you can see? And did you know that being-ness is the ground in which the most powerful energy flows through you?
We are enough. In a way, none of us need to ‘do’ anything. You are worthy, just as you are. Whole. Even in your non-action.
Personally, ‘being’ has been one of my biggest challenges and deepest sources of transformation. I too have been very conditioned to focus on getting things done, achieving, performing and working hard! But over the past few years, this way of being has become harder and harder. It seemed like I was pushing against a wall and going nuts when I couldn’t make a certain desired progress. So I slowly learnt to let go. Interestingly when I didn’t push, joy would swell up in me and I couldn’t help but act. The idea for this article, for example, came to me spontaneously upon waking. I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet when a sudden urge forced me out of bed to write down this train of thought. What in the past would have taken days to outline, now took me 10 minutes. I still struggle quite a bit with ‘feeling behind’, that I should be doing more and publishing my book by year XYZ. But I am just so tired of feeling tired, you know? I increasingly find peace in being, knowing that when I pause and breathe, I am always right where I need to be.
In a world obsessed with speed, slowing down and embracing the transformative potential of Wu Wei might be just the answer we’re looking for, and so urgently need. In this state of being, the very question of ‘Am I doing enough?’ falls away. Why? Because we are aligned with Life. We only ask that question when we have come out of alignment…
So next time you worry and feel that question arising within you; instead of going faster, why not slow down instead? Why not stop and breathe, and just allow yourself to be, so that Life can catch up with you, work through you and show you what needs to be done? Listen. Do you hear the melody?
We can plant 100 trees quickly, or we can cultivate 5 with care, patience and in the right native conditions. We can fly 50 flights a year to do speeches on regeneration and feel depleted, or we can focus on the 10 that could create the most benefit and feel full. We can aggressively post social media campaigns 7 days a week, or we can do 2 high-quality ones every other day. We can try to convince others of certain lifestyle choices, or we can be a beacon of light that inspires others through our choices. We can power through our daily tasks as if they’re a means to an end, or we can take deep breaths in between and cherish each moment as an end in itself.
Slowing down is a daring act. It is revolutionary in a culture that puts urgency above all else. Don’t be afraid to slow down when everyone’s rushing. Let the universal current move you, inspire you, jolt you into your highest timeline to bring forth the work you’re here to do. No masterpiece can be created in a hurry. Here, now, is always right where you need to be. Take care of yourself. Stop.
Where in your life are you very busy? What is your relationship with ‘rest’?
At present, we are an extremely busy collective. But as consciousness rises, activity will gradually go down — and the way things get done will be different. Only that which truly matters will be carried out. Humanity will value quality over quantity, depth over speed and presence over productivity. It will focus on root cause solutions over superficial quick fixes. We’re seeing seeds of this already… Slow fashion… Slow travel… Slow architecture… But make no mistake, there is nothing ‘slow’ about these. They are intentional and deeply considerate of long-term impact and benefit.
Reminds me of the old fable of the tortoise and the hare. In a culture that glorifies the hare's speed, we would do well to remember that fast is not always better. The tortoise's patience, persistence and unwavering commitment to the journey ultimately lead to success.
Slow and steady wins the race.
As we navigate these times of change and upheaval, we are all being called to embody the wisdom of the tortoise. To slow down, relax and tune in. To recognize that true transformation takes time, care and deep presence.
This is not about disengaging, avoiding hard work or giving up on the urgent task of creating change. It's about engaging in a way that is sustainable, nourishing and effective. It's about cultivating the discernment to know when to act and when to rest, when to push and when to pause, when to give and when to receive. It’s about finding the path of least resistance and doing more with less.
In slowing down, we create space for the essential to crystallize. We allow the noise to fall away and the true priorities to emerge. We open ourselves to the guiding melody of Life itself, trusting that we are moved and inspired to action in perfect time and in perfect ways.
So let’s be guardians of the Slow in a world of rush. Let’s dare to pause, to breathe, to be still. Let’s remember that in slowing down, we are not falling behind — we are right on time for the great Awakening that is unfolding on this planet.