Honor Your Slow Start

One of the most pervasive myths of our culture, especially in the entrepreneurial arenas, is that successful people wake up at the crack of dawn, bounce out of bed full of energy, and immediately get going in their day with full energy.

Honoring Slow Starts

Although I’m typically an early riser, I hardly jump out of bed.

Whether in my morning workout, work projects, or other areas of life, I have a distinct pattern: it takes me a while to get going.

I often get frustrated with my slower rhythm. I am constantly wondering how I can get going a little faster, trying to figure out how I can shave minutes off of my routine. Resisting our natural rhythms is a waste of energy, and yet the dominant narrative of our culture often makes me feel like I’m doing it “wrong.”

In a recent interview with Tim Ferris, author Steven Pressfield shared that although he typically wakes up at 5:30 am, he doesn’t actually sit down to start writing until 11:30 am.

Before he sits down to work, he goes to the gym, he takes out the garbage, and does a lot of other small tasks.

Pressfield explained that each of these small tasks allow him to accumulate “little successes” that build momentum, so that by the time he sits down to write he is in flow.

As I listened to Pressfield describe his morning rituals, I felt a sense of vindication, and a deepening of acceptance for my own rhythms. It helped me release the pressure I had been putting on myself to fix something that isn’t broken.

Cyclical Rhythms

In fact, “slow starts” echo the rhythms of nature. It’s the “sprint start” that’s out of alignment.

The cycle of the day follows the same pattern as the cycle of the seasons. The seasons don’t just turn on with the flip of a page on the calendar. Each one gradually unfolds into the next.

The Early Morning = Spring

Tomorrow we celebrate the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. Spring corresponds to the early morning in the daily cycle.

Spring is the season of planting. But before we can plant seed, we must prepare the soil. We need to lay the foundation. The Earth must warm up.

Once we plant the seeds, we don’t see sprouts immediately. Contrary to its name, spring doesn’t just “spring” into action. It’s a season of initiation, not just a moment.

Only technology turns on instantly. Living beings have a different rhythm. The energy builds slowly, until it reaches a crescendo of momentum that pushes the sprout through the earth.

If we honor the build up, the climax is much sweeter.

Nature doesn’t rush, yet everything is accomplished. — Lao Tzu