Somewhere in my upbringing, I learned that I should reply to the question of “How are you?” with “Busy, but good.” A few years ago, I realized that wearing busy as a badge of honor was detrimental to my mental health and professional growth, and that perpetuating this cultural norm was detrimental to others. I’d like to share a few of the things I’ve learned on this topic.
It wasn’t until I moved to Montana that I realized how much others’ busy badge of honor affected me. I had spent the previous 20 years in Boulder, Colorado, a town filled with entrepreneurs, elite athletes, technologists, academics, and thought leaders. While there are tremendous benefits to living among the extraordinary, I was almost always surrounded by people who were in a rush. When I was feeling stressed because I was too busy, nearly everyone I encountered seemed to be feeling the same way. When I felt like I wasn’t accomplishing enough or moving fast enough, my friends would reveal similar sentiments. When I would pick up my pace to make it to a meeting on time, the people walking next to me were often doing the same.
When I moved to Montana, I experienced the opposite. I was often the only person walking briskly or passing cars to shorten my drive time. When I started a conversation with a hurried, “get-to-it” tone, the other person would respond in the opposite way. This reflection of calm would almost always calm me.
Having this experience has made me realize how living in a culture where rushing is normalized impacts my own and others’ stress levels. I’ve also learned that my level of productivity often has an indirect correlation to the number of meetings on my calendar. Leaving room to be creative and to harness unexpected opportunities may be the best thing I’ve done for my professional growth. It led to the launch of Imperfectly Honest and gave me the room to spend eight months pursuing a project in Paradise Valley, Montana. I’ve achieved more personal and professional growth in the past year than in the previous decade.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to have lived in a place that taught me how to do more faster. I’m also grateful for the opportunity to live in a place that is teaching me how to slow down. Moving forward, I hope to find a balance between the best of the two.
Onward and Upward.
