For a period of time, I always thought that life was meant to be fast.

When we were young, my husband and I were both the kind of people who moved full speed ahead. We valued efficiency, valued results, and in everything we did, we wanted to win. Nothing was allowed to slow down. We liked a fast-paced life. We liked that state of being “so busy that we could not stop,” because it made us feel as though we were successful. But only later did I realize that being “fast” also has its price.

During the pandemic years, for us, it was a very heavy blow. The balloon company we had been running almost came to a complete stop overnight. For more than a year, there was no income, the team disbanded, and all our efforts seemed to return to zero. During that time, I was truly lost. Every day when I woke up, I did not know what to do, and I did not know where the future was. It felt as though my whole life had been pressed on pause. In my heart there was anxiety, helplessness, and also a little unwillingness to give up.

I began to ask myself: If everything could start all over again, what else could I do? Later, I made a decision that even I had never expected—to change industries and begin paper carving art. To be honest, this field is very niche. Almost no one was doing it, and there were hardly any companies I could look to for reference. But precisely because of that, I slowly became quiet inside, and began to hear the true voice in my heart.

Without the pressure of “competing in speed” from the past, I began to carve one cut at a time, and stack one layer at a time. In this process, for the first time, I truly experienced that slowing down is a kind of strength. Slow does not mean going backwards, but seeing the direction clearly again. When you pause for a while, chaotic thoughts slowly become clear. When you slow a little, things that seem hopeless may begin to show a turning point.

As I entered middle age, I have come to believe more and more in one sentence: When matters are handled patiently, they become complete. When people are calm, they become at peace. When words are spoken slowly, they become valuable. Life has never been a straight line. There will be peaks, and there will certainly also be valleys.

When you have tried hard for a long time and still cannot see results, it does not always mean you are not good enough. It may simply mean the timing has not arrived yet. Do not forget there is a kind of joy called rising after hitting the bottom; there is a kind of turning point called light after darkness;

and there is also a kind of arrangement called blessings after great joy.

Later, I also slowly understood a very simple truth: In space, no one is more important than yourself. Only when you become better will everything around you slowly become better. In time, nothing is more important than the present moment. When the present is lived well, the past gains meaning, and the future becomes worth looking forward to. So, I learned to “slow down a little.”

To slow down a little is not procrastination, and it is not giving up, but a way of focusing on the process and cultivating patience. It is like planting a tree. If you plant the seed today, it will definitely take time before you can harvest it. Every day in between requires patience and waiting. What we can do is not rush the result, but live each day well, and let ourselves improve little by little.

To slow down a little is also a kind of gentleness toward yourself. When you no longer compare blindly with others, you will not fall into anxiety. If you care too much about the destination, you will easily miss the scenery along the way. To live according to your own rhythm, and become the person you want to be, that is what it truly means to not waste this hard-earned time.

Dear friend, if you are also in a low point of life right now, do not rush, do not be anxious. First, stop for a moment and take a breath. Come slowly—it is truly still in time. Walk slowly—you will still arrive.

May all of us, within our own rhythm, slowly become better little by little. Keep going.

( Translated from the original Chinese text )

 

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