Do you ever think to yourself, "I wish I lived a more boring life"?

I've had potential clients share this sentiment with me and what I find is that they don't actually want to be bored as much as they want to move slowly. Life feels like it never stops and as a result, they fantasize a boring life.

As someone who has experienced this too, I get it. So much so that I've spent the last several years learning how to slow down at work and in life. I've found the key lies in understanding and practicing what you value.

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I've always enjoyed travelling and most often I've travelled by plane. Last year, I rode the Amtrak train for the first time. I took the train from LA to Seattle (34 hours) and fell in love with train travel.

Since then I have taken many more trips: 

Dallas ➡️ Chicago (22 hours)

Baltimore ➡️ D.C. (50 minutes - the East Coast has it so good!)

Ft. Worth ➡️ Oklahoma City (4 hours)

Houston ➡️ New Orleans (16 hours)

Dallas ➡️ Little Rock (8 hours)

LA ➡️ Portland ➡️ Seattle (34 hours)

Whenever I share about a past or upcoming trip, I often get a lot of questions:

• How much does it cost?
• Is the food good?
• How many bags can I bring?
• Can you help me plan a trip?
• How often does it stop?
• How do you sit for that long?
• Why, when it's so much faster on a plane?

 
That last question is one that I've pondered quite a bit. On my very first train ride, I learned the train often experiences delays. While the trip may be advertised as 34 hours, it can easily extend to 35+ hours because of delays.* And yet, I've spent at least 84 more hours on the train since.

So why ride the train when it's faster to fly?

Because I no longer value getting to the destination more than how I arrive.

Years ago, when I quit my job to travel the country in a Sprinter van, I didn't realize how much of my life was focused on how quickly or efficiently I could do everything. 

Don't get me wrong, I do like efficiency. 

I can't see myself taking the train from Dallas to LA just to take a trip from LA to Seattle. That's almost 70 hours and I ain't got enough PTO for that.

While doing something slow when it doesn't make sense is maddening, moving fast for the sake of moving fast has not benefited me.

I've spent the better part of my adult life so focused on getting to the destination quickly, I often forgot to consider what I'd have to sacrifice to get there.

I focused on how quickly I could climb the corporate ladder without considering what I truly wanted and the goals I'd de-prioritize as a result.

I focused on how quickly I could reach quota and complete a project or client request without considering the necessity to do work that's not mine to own and work around the clock.

I focused on how quickly I could get out of town and subsequently maximize my time (read: cram in activities) without considering the emotions I'd have to avoid while escaping the overwhelm of my life.

Riding the train isn't just a fun, novel way for me to travel. It's a practice in living out my values.

I don't ride the train because it will get me there fast. I ride the train because it no longer serves me to focus on how fast I could get everywhere.

How have your values changed?

How can you lead a life reflective of what you value today?

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*In case you're wondering why there are delays, it's because freight trains take precedence over passenger trains. If a freight train needs to pass, your train will be side-tracked until it has passed - no matter how long it may take. This could happen several times on one leg of your trip.