Monday, 11 May 2009

Taking your Time for a Change

What's it like being stuck at the end of a long queue waiting for the supermarket checkout? Moving slowly inch by inch in a traffic jam? Sitting too long for the bank cashier to see you? Waiting not-so-patiently to see your doctor? I'm guessing the experience will have frustrated, annoyed you a little. Maybe that's an understatement.

Photo: badboy69

Imagine you could speed through time or race across moments in life. Where you once believed events moved too slowly, now you experience them at the pace you desire. Taking the time you'd prefer to feel the way you like.

'The only reason for time, is so that everything doesn't happen at once.' attributed to both Albert Einstein and John Archibald Wheeler

Remember a time when you had been travelling quickly then suddenly you had to slow because of traffic, pedestrians or delayed connections? Everything around you seems to wobble to an achingly slower pace. People move as if wading in mud and even the clocks on the wall indicate a rate of speed from a slower dimension. If you were to notice a stone falling from above, you suspect it would glide down like a feather.

There are ways to change more of your time in places, so more speed less haste, equals increasing pleasure. The cool thing is you don't have to walk, run, drive, fly or sail any quicker. You change your inner speedometer to create that for you. It's easy. Everything will be taken care of. This is how you can do it.

More Speed, Less Haste
Preparing our perceptions of things before they occur (and being calm and relaxed), can help many occasions be more enjoyable. It's about getting into your best state to appreciate more things. Changing the speed at which we relate to things before they occur, may make learning, exercising, standing in queues and travelling more pleasant.

I believe this exercise will positively change your experience of anticipated events, both before they occur and during the reality. You'll be changing your expectations of moments in your life and who knows what beneficial things may unfold.

  • Think of a journey you'll be taking soon. This can be via car, plane, cycling, walking or running on foot or any combination you'll be using.
  • Now see the journey as you expect it to be from beginning to end in your imagination. Obviously you won't be spending one hour or more doing this. You'll likely experience parts of the journey. Feelings of passing time and a dash of emotions with hints of your own inner dialogue too.
  • Stop, stand up briefly and think of something pleasant. Smile.
  • Sit down again and relax and just breath naturally. Take your time and relax well, so you are very comfortable.
  • Imagine your expected, future journey again from beginning to end.
  • See it and feel it occurring pleasantly and very quickly before you. As if you were watching yourself making that journey on a fast-forwarded film. Speed the film at a pace that is faster than normal and comfortable to you.
  • Now, imagine you are in the fast forwarded journey. You are relaxed, still and happy.
  • Pretend you are the calm centre. See everything moving around you at a fast speed. That includes everything in your scenery that will normally be in motion.
  • Do this repeatedly so you can explore your dominant senses of that experience (usually your vision, kinaesthetic feelings and emotions). Remember to use a speed that you feel comfortable with.

Notice how differently you feel toward any anticipated journeys or adventures.
Do future events, journeys, training sessions, meetings feel easier and more agreeable to you now?
Do you feel this exercise will be practical or useful to you?

Maybe this will also help you, when you're considering learning something new and wondering how quickly you can learn it.

Another Hint & Tip in the Right Direction
Another exercise you may find useful is one by Richard Bandler, co-founder of NLP. He uses the idea of contrasting speed. In your imagination you exaggerate a slower speed so when you're in the real occasion, it will appear much faster by comparison.

  • Imagine slowing down all aspects of an anticipated journey or occasion.
  • Everything you observe becomes very, very slow in your imagination.
  • The rate of movement of people, vehicles, animals, the elements like wind and rain, is greatly reduced. People's speech and breathing is reduced.
  • As a result of this, when you live the real event it may seem much faster.

'Life is all about timing....the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable becomes available, the unattainable....attainable. Have the's all about timing.' Stacey Charter

I hope these suggestions are useful to you. Let me know you're thoughts.

Thanks for reading


  1. I love the quote that you share here from Stacey Charter. Most of us are always in this one big rush for time. I like your suggestion of doing these NLP exercises where we can get to know how fast or how slow we would like to experience life.

  2. Thanks for your comments Evelyn.
    I like the way the quote suggests we can control our time and reap the rewards.

    The first 'fast' exercise works best for me. Although I prefer to live at a slower pace.
    I'm glad you liked them and hope they may be of use to you.


  3. I have just realized that when I am stuck in a queue and feel irritated my emotional system might be telling me something important. It could be telling me, for example, that the manager of the store places a very low value on my time - and that I should shop elsewhere.

    I like your suggestions about visualization of anticipated events.

  4. Hiya Winston

    Thanks for your comments.
    I feel its a good skill to interpret your emotional signals.
    Visualising a sought after outcome is highly useful. Especially when you're practically doing what's necessary to achieve it.

    Also, I've noticed a marked decline in service from some stores, particularly levels of staff employed to care for the customer at peak times.