Two years ago, when I just moved to a new city, I started experiencing a lot of anxiety. Logically, it didn't make sense because it was the sixth city I had moved to, so I told myself, "I shouldn't have felt this way because I was experienced." Unfortunately, emotions don't work that way.
I did not have a place, nor any friends, and basically, I wanted everything at the same time, which was not realistic. Having unrealistic expectations, I started feeling intense anxiety. How could I not? I was trying to control a lot of things that are not in my control. Then one day, amidst my anxiety, my supervisor asked me, "Utku, how slow can you go?"
To this day, this question has stuck with me. And it is one of the few questions I find solace in. I love this question so much because it encourages slowing down in a world where slowness is labeled as lazy and not productive. We are living in a society that never encourages us to take things slow and practice patience, in our jobs, in our personal lives, nor in our relationships.
This question helps me cultivate patience, which is a virtue much needed in the pursuit of our dreams. Centuries ago, the beloved poet Rumi also said: "Patience, not haste, gets you where you belong. Slow down and heed the beloved's song."
So, in a society where slowness is seen as laziness or unproductive, I encourage you to ask yourself: How slow can you go?