Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Finding Peace in a Frenetic World

Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Finding Peace in a Frenetic World

I always treated life as a sprint—running from one event to another, meeting up with friends, attending work’s happy hours, going away on weekend trips, and filling every moment with something. I was constantly chasing that elusive feeling of, “I was productive today.”

Growing up in the United States, it felt like the world was always pushing me to run faster, achieve more, and check off every box as quickly as possible. The Us culture thrives on busyness, and from an early age, I was taught to tie my self-worth to productivity. Work hard, hustle harder became the mantra I absorbed, and for a long time, I believed it was the only way to live.

I’m 31 now, and I can tell you—it’s not.

It took me years to untangle myself from that mindset and even longer to find peace in embracing a slower, steadier approach to life. I wish someone had told me earlier that life isn’t a race at all. It’s more like a winding path through a forest—you’ll miss the beauty of it if you’re running too fast to look around. And if you’re not paying attention, you’ll end up on the well-beaten path when what you truly wanted was to clear your own.

The Frenzy of Growing Up

If you grew up in the U.S. like I did, you probably know the feeling. From school to sports to extracurriculars, then career and relationships, there’s this unspoken expectation to "keep up" with everything and everyone. You’re supposed to conform to the school system’s learning style, graduate college on time with flying colors, land your dream job by 25, get married by 30, and be on track to becoming a millionaire soon after.

It seemed like everyone around me—or the people I looked up to as role models—had their lives all figured out. I pushed myself to meet my goals (and still do), but it’s only now that I realize how many of those goals were rooted in external expectations. Whether it was society, family, or even just a vague sense of "this is the right path," I didn’t always stop to consider if those goals were truly mine.

Looking back, I’ve achieved some great things, but I never really felt the satisfaction of achievement because of the impossibly high expectations I placed on myself. Growing up and well into my 20s, I was caught in the current—constantly comparing my timeline to everyone else’s or to what I thought it should look like. Social media didn’t help either—it was like a highlight reel of everything I hadn’t accomplished yet.

I chased goals I thought I should have, not because they made me happy, but because I thought achieving them would make me enough.

But here’s the thing: that kind of mindset is exhausting. It burns you out and leaves you feeling like no matter what you do, it’s never enough.

Slowing Down Saved Me

It wasn’t until my late 20s that I realized something had to change. Even when I achieved my goals, the happiness I felt was fleeting. It was like pouring water into a sieve—nothing stuck. So I started asking myself some hard questions:

• Who am I trying to prove myself to?

• What do I actually want out of life?

• What is my true passion?

• What would happen if I stopped rushing?

It took time (and a lot of unlearning), but I started to embrace the idea of going slow. I stopped setting rigid timelines for myself and began focusing on what brought me joy in the present moment. I also started listening to the needs of my mind and body.

I learned to sit with myself, to breathe, to meditate, and to let go of the need to control everything.

And you know what? Life didn’t fall apart when I slowed down. In fact, it got better.

The Peace in Slow and Steady

Slowing down doesn’t mean you stop striving or give up on your dreams. It just means you approach life with more intention and less pressure—less stress.

When I stopped sprinting toward some imaginary finish line, I started noticing the little things that actually bring me happiness—morning sunlight streaming through my window, unhurried conversations with friends, the satisfaction of spending a day doing work I truly care about.

I also stopped comparing myself to everyone else. Life isn’t a competition, and we’re all on our own unique paths with different starting points. It’s okay to take a detour, to move at your own pace, to redefine what success looks like for you.

Once I stopped worrying about what the “right” thing to do looked like from the perspective of my high-expectation self, I started recreating my hobbies, habits, and choices based on what genuinely made me happy. For the first time, I had the headspace to think about what I actually want for my future—not anyone else’s version of it.

And part of what I want is to get out everything I’ve pent up inside from years of rushing—hence this post! 😛

The world is still as frenetic as ever. The pressure to hustle and achieve is always there, but I’ve learned to tune it out. Instead of running, I’m walking and smelling the flowers. Instead of chasing, I’m enjoying the sunshine. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be (or at least on my way 🙂).

Final Thoughts

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or like you’re constantly falling behind, take a step back. Don’t be afraid to ask yourself the deeper questions: Why am I pushing so hard when I don’t even feel satisfied? What am I really running toward?

Life isn’t about how fast you can go; it’s about how fully you can live.

Slow and steady doesn’t just win the race. It makes the journey worth taking. Let me know if this post resonated with you, I would love to connect 🙂