Slowing down as we age is neither good nor bad, but what we make of it.
Most everyone wants better days. We want more joy. And we want it faster.
But what if slower was better?
“And you asked me what I want this year
– Opening line from the hit song, “Better Days” by the Goo Goo Dolls
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days”
Truth be told, we are surrounded in life by things that only get better, slowly.
7 Things Made Better Slowly
- Concrete’s weakest point, is at the time it is poured. Cured slowly, it can last for more than a century.
- Whiskey and Wine cannot be bottled and bought. Time is their friend. Only slowly do they become great.
- Cheese – speed is no friend to the finest cheeses. They must be aged to acheive their best.
- Trees – faster growing trees were needed for construction demand. So man engineered them. But the slow growing trees are the stronger ones.
- Diamonds – often compared to our human development, when they say, “No great value comes without time and pressure”.
- Musicians – slow and deliberate practice is the cornerstone of any skilled musician
- Athletes – there is no “starting fast” in sport. You build speed and competence through slow repetition.
What is our great human rush to get everything done fast anyway?
“Hurry up! Hurry up! Let’s get this done!” Says only the task master…
Never “The Master”.
Turns out slow can actually make you progress faster.
In a previous post we discussed the benefits of inviting at least one NEW thing into our life daily. No matter how small or subtle. This helps prevent boredom, hopelessness, depression and disease. It keeps our mind thinking. Our brain cells and neural pathways active and growing.
Today, I’d like to expand on that with something new. Something so easy, anyone can do it starting today.
I want to give you this universally simple way to create “NEW” at will, regardless of the activity you’re involved with – and fire up that youthful sense of wonder that may have waned. You might even find yourself reversing some of the normal consequences of aging.
This technique fits perfectly with our previous discussion, because it involves doing things differently than we normally do.
(And we agreed, right? Different, fresh, new, beats boring.)
This technique, this different thing is “SLOW”.
How Slow Leads To Faster Results
Turns out, slow is good. We need to slow down. To a crawl sometimes.
Fast is now out. Slow is in.
Musicians have known the importance of, and reaped the wonders of “SLOW” for some time now.
Famed violinist Itzhak Perlman once reported, “When kids ask me for an autograph, I always sign my name and then write, practice slowly!”
“When kids ask me for an autograph, I always sign my name and then write, practice slowly!”
–Violin Master, Itzhak Pearlman
Another famed violinist, Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster, David Kim, also talks about the wonderful benefits of slow, deliberate practice in this interview at (3:10) You can listen to him here at; https://bulletproofmusician.com/david-kim-on-letting-go-and-being-yourself/
Martial artists have long understood the benefits of slow practice as well.
Training moves are practiced in super slow motion in the beginning, to allow student brains to capture and record every nuance of proper muscle movement.
Super slow movements require and instill a deeper understanding of what each movement actually requires. It more deeply engages your brain. Cognitive memory and muscle memory are more deeply imprinted when you do things slowly.
Common Examples Requiring Slow
- No one learns to drive a car going at 100 miles an hour. There’s too much to coordinate. We start super slow in the parking lot. As we get better, we go faster. Then do it without thinking at all.
- No one steps up to the starting line Day 1 and wins a marathon. They start slow and short. With time and persistence they run faster and farther.
- Same with playing piano. You’re not going to sit down and belt out Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” the first time you sit down at the keys. It’s a great song. And, crazy as it sounds, you’ll play it sooner if you practice more slowly.
I was reminded of this recently, when I decided to try learning piano again.
My last attempt was 40 years ago when I thought it would be an easy switch, after playing the organ for 6 years. I was wrong. It’s very different. Being the impatient youth of 20 that I was, and without a sufficiently strong reason “why” (like to impress some girl!), I sold the piano after a dozen or so failed and boring lessons in the fundamentals.
Then, last week, I found an inspiring piano instructor online who teaches a new way to play. In 21 days!
I like his premise. How to play songs. Actual songs we know and like! Instead of all that boring, tedious stuff about scales, and fingering, and reading sheet music.
After trying his 5 free piano course lessons, in just one week I can already play with both hands and I know 6 of the most popular chords used in a huge number of hit songs! Learning just 4 of those chords, which make up 1000’s of modern popular songs, gets me to playing real songs, real fast. Providing…
Jacque also emphasizes in his course, the importance of doing each lesson slowly. Then, building speed gradually as you gain knowledge, control, and muscle memory.
Slow works best for learning!
But there is a greater value to this “SLOW” than just faster mastery. Slow adds a novelty and greater depth of understanding to everything we do!
Slow is another great tool in your “Better Days” toolbox
Experience this phenomenon for yourself today when you try this quick experiment…
Try brushing each individual tooth, properly! Start at the gum, stroke one way only. Stroke down for the upper teeth, UP for the lower teeth. Stroke each tooth 3 times starting at the gums. None of that “swish, swish, swish, done” your 7 year old self passed off as tooth brushing.
Slow requires more thought than fast. It’s a thinking thing. And that’s exactly what you want to keep your brain fresh.
Slow requires more thought than fast. It’s a thinking thing. And that’s exactly what you want to keep your brain fresh.
–Elderbob
Changing from the usual, including slowing way down, sets different brain “gears” in motion.
We are then forced to “think” rather than act from auto-pilot, habit, or memory.
What China Knows About Slow
Tai Chi is an ancient form of exercise practiced throughout China. It is done slowly, on purpose, to achieve maximum physical and mental benefits. For more than 10 centuries, this practice, which originally started as fight training, has evolved into a healthful discipline which can be practiced well into our golden years.
Want better?
Want more?
Slow down.
Savor each bite of food. Each sip of wine.
Walk instead of drive. Slow it down. See the squirrels play. Hear the birds chirp. Really listen. See and smile at the other travelers out there, walking their own journey. Most oblivious to the wonders all around them as they scurry about, focused only on the destination. But not you. You’re here. Present. Enjoying.
Skip jogging and try Tai Chi. (Your joints will thank you later!)
Start learning a new skill, as I did with the piano. And start with a disciplined mindset rather than “how fast can I do this”. Plan to do a little each day, no matter what. Let time be your friend. Slow and steady wins the race. Right rabbit?
Imagine, if you only improved 1% per day, by year’s end, you’d have improved more that 365%.
And that 365% doesn’t even include the compounding effect. Compounding occurs because you don’t just get 1% better than the original you, you get 1% better than the new, better you.
“Inch by inch, it becomes a cinch!”
Today can be like every other day. Or it can be different.
You choose. And remember, deciding not to choose is also your choice.
How can you add some slow to your day?
For daily novelty and faster speed, why not try one thing slowly and see?
Slow seniors get better faster!
“Bene Vivere!”
Bob “Better Days” Schwarztrauber
P.S. Look for my next post where I’ll share the second startling tip I discovered which jump starts your brain and makes your whole body feel better!
