In our fast-paced world, we have so many factors asking us to speed up, do you have anyone encouraging you to slow down? Or do you live each day pedal to the metal hoping your schedule doesn’t come crashing to a halt when it becomes too much? I was reminded yesterday why paying attention to the speed limits in your life is so important.

A Less Than Speedy Weekend

This weekend, I drove 6 hours to California for my good friend’s bridal shower. That’s a lot of time by yourself in the car for both thinking, and making sure you don’t get a speeding ticket on the open desert highway. As I passed a car on the side of the road being written up by highway patrol, I thought to myself: “Yeah, I bet that guy is pretty upset, but he’d be even more upset if he’d kept speeding and gotten in a horrible accident.”

Even though I’m irritated when I see a cop parked behind a bush with a radar gun, clearly trying to catch speeders unseen, I’m glad they are there, telling us all to slow down before we hurt ourselves or someone else.

Who Are The Cops In Your Life?

Then it occurred to me. Who are the “cops” in our work lives who tell us to stop going so fast? Who reminds us to take a break, stop overburdening our schedule, and let go of a pointless pursuit of perfection? Sometimes it’s a friend, a spouse, or a child. Other times it’s a bad cold, a headache, or a forgotten deadline.

Whoever the highway patrol in your life is, listen to them. It’s easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of tasks and ignore the warning signs of a dangerously fast-paced schedule until it’s too late. Just like speed limits are meant to slow us down before we cause and accident, we must also keep our schedule at a reasonable pace before we hit a wall of stress, illness, or both.

Don’t dismiss the highway patrol in your life. Let them slow you down and help you out. Going 65mph might not get me to California as quickly, but it will get me there in one piece, which is what I hope for the end of my workday as well.

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