Did you find that the endless free time wasn't really that way?

[Nords]

Nords, I expect it has more to do with you being involved in your own life. What is going on in the rest of the world doesn't matter as much to you any more.

Well, that sounds much better than "lazy & dumber"!

 

[Linney]

I recently realized that when I was working, I spent most of my days on autopilot -- moving through many tasks without even noticing the time/energy/results and looking ahead to the next item on the "list". Looking back, I see now that I rarely took any time to reflect on what I did -- I was too busy.

Now, I find myself more "in the moment." Where I used to drive 80 mph on the expressway, juggling the Blackberry and trying to eat the fast food lunch that I grabbed at the drive-thru, I now purposely take the surface roads and stop to enjoy a sit down lunch (maybe at 2 in the afternoon). I enjoy lingering over a cup of coffee, listening to the birds or the breeze through the trees. I still read the Wall Street Journal and other business publications -- but now for my own investment education rather than for the "biz-speak".

And, I am happily re-discovering hobbies that I shelved for years while I climbed the corporate ladder. Overall, I think I've become a more interesting person by widening my horizons...I know that I am happier than I've been in years.

I am soooo glad to hear this! I have a couple years left until I retire and I am soooo looking forward to being able to 'stop and smell the coffee' (or is that 'roses' ?)

Anyway, right now I feel like I am always going 100mph, finish one thing and immediately start the next, going non-stop from the moment I wake up until the time that I have to get some sleep.

I'm sure I can learn how to slow down again. Really!