True confession: I have a love/hate relationship with my own "speediness". I'm kind of a fast moving person - routine tasks, walking, eating - all of these things get done much faster than I really think they should. And, although I'm not a fast driver, somehow I often get to the destination before others who left at the same time. I'm just quick!

This feels to me like my natural pace. Or perhaps it has something to do with the fact I live on the fast-paced East Coast! Whatever the reason, the truth is I wish I moved slower, at least some of the time; and here's why. When I have consciously worked to slow myself down, I have noticed so much more of my surroundings, enjoyed things more, and felt calmer.

What about you? Are you a fast person, a slow person or somewhere in between? As the fast-paced holidays are approaching, I thought it would be a good time to explore the concept of slowness with all it's charms and benefits. Come along with me for a slow meander through this month's Tune-Up!

• The practice of patience. There is probably not a single one of us that couldn't use some help in this area. Being speedy often translates into expecting things and people around us to "hurry up" too. Slowing ourselves down, perhaps with a pause and a deep breath, allows us to practice the important and very useful skill of feeling and behaving in patient way.
   
• A deeper sense of calm. I personally have tried Tai Chi at one point with the goal of slowing myself down, and during the practice, I felt a certain sense of calm that was difficult to achieve otherwise. Finding practices or simple and sweet experiences that slow us down can bring a calm to our lives that is refreshing and rejuvenating.
   
• Noticing the moment. Our racing minds are often the speediest things about us. Worrying about what's next and ruminating about what happened before takes up much of the space in our thoughts, even when we want to be focusing on our connections with others. When we are able to gently shift our attention to the present moment, we have more room for listening and for truly enjoying what is going on around us.

As a recovering and evolving "quick" person, it's good for me to share some of the trials and advantages of learning to slow down! Although it's not always easy to go against what feels like our genuine nature, I can tell you it's worth trying. We may even discover our new genuine nature when we slow down enough to notice.

Your challenge for this month:

Pick one day out of each week to be your "slow-down day". Try out this experiment for a month. So, if it's every Tuesday, put the effort in for 4 Tuesdays to get yourself to be more still, to notice the moment more, and to slow down your overall pace. At the end of the day or the following morning journal a paragraph or two on what your experience brought you. At the end of the experiment month, discuss your findings with someone close in your life.

Email me once you've done the challenge to let me know what you're learning. As always, I would love to hear from you!