How To Achieve A Slower Pace And Step Out Of The Glorified Rat Race

In this day and age everything moves at lightning speed. With social media quick on the tails of every story, nothing is sacred, and everything is news – even Kim Kardashian splashing Vogue is suddenly news worthy. Why? Who knows, but it keeps us glued to our phones, iPads, computers and everything in between, afraid we might miss something. (I’ll sleep better knowing Kimmy is thrilled beyond words to be on the cover.)

One thing that I have noticed is the sudden glorification of “busy”. Everyone running around in circles, cramming in more tasks than they can handle all in an effort to be considered productive. Or is it in an effort to keep up with status quo? Either way the alchemy of balance is non existent. So how do you find a slower pace and step out of the glorified rat race?

It’s the power of saying No, and it’s the power of taking back the stillness, getting rid of the “busy” and stopping to smell the roses. As world renowned astrologer Tom Brady stated: Now more than ever we need to slow down and gain back our sense of community. It’s now or never. Perhaps a good time to meet your neighbors too!

Today as I ran through my Facebook feed my dear friend Varian captured this very thing beautifully:

If you listen closely, silence has a (sound) and a rhythm. ~ Angel OJ Holcomb 

In our society, we find ourselves in constant movement, in the constant hustle and bustle of each day. We have come to wear our “busyness” as a badge of honor. But busyness does not equal achievement, accomplishment or progress.

I have to remind myself and I also encourage you, to be intentional about more downtime and silence in your schedule. It may seem very counter intuitive, but the more often you engage in sacred silence, the more creative, accomplished and fulfilled you will be.

It is in the silence that the reason for your existence, the plan and magnitude of your work, and the span of your impact is revealed……

BE still and know! Varian Brandon

amen.

How to Achieve A Slower Pace And Step Out Of The Glorified Rat Race

1) Learn to say No.

As a society, especially women, we feel the need to not let people down. We are organically nurturing and want to swoop in to save the day. Stop, think about what it is you are signing up for and decide if its worth your offerings or creating a sacrifice.

2) Walk away from the judgement.

Learn that the judgement that others may or may not put on you is usually the judgment you put onto yourself. Perception can be a dark horse. First and foremost, make yourself happy. If those needs are met, then you won’t need number three listed next.

3) Live free of guilt

We hold ourselves responsible for everyone else’s crap. Simply put, ‘not your circus, not your monkeys’. And if we are referring to your children….well you may well be dealing with monkeys. But I had a simple upbringing, I love my mother dearly, her most important gift was being present, not signing me up to every event to meet status quo…

4) Learn to find your Ma.

Learn to be OK with the silence. We have conditioned ourselves to hate stillness and many of us have become fidgety. Find your Ma, within it you will find your Balance, Harmony and Home.

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Gates Interior Design

In 2012 I started working with my second business coach, James Roche. It was then that I realized that change was inevitable. Not only was the design industry evolving in a big way, but so was I. Recently single and going through a divorce the things that had mattered most were no longer important to me. While I loved interior design and the transformation it provided my clients, “pretty” was no longer enough for me. I needed more. I wanted to provide transformations that changed peoples lives for the better and to heal their spaces.

As I sat in my own home, surrounded by a junk yard of past life memories I realized that nothing could remain. Everything had a story. Everything had a memory, and it was all attached to an old life that no longer existed. As I would pass a chair I wouldn’t see it’s beauty but rather the memory of emotions that no longer served me. It was then that I realized that many of us go through life surrounded by a junk yard that weighs us down, and holds our energy hostage.

Back when I was in college I studied feng shui. I used it in my own home and became an expert in the Pyramid Philosophy of Feng Shui. It was a style that resonated with me. A style that banishes the need for wacky charms and superstitions but instead focuses on the energy, emotion and feeling of a room. No longer would I surround myself with energy that did not honor my new direction in life. In the spring of 2012 I set out to change everything:

1) Auction off everything I own

2) Sell my car

3) Move

4) Rebrand

It seems like a simple list but it took an act of god to make it all happen. It took me six months to find an auction house that would take everything in one single swoop. Most companies wanted to pick and choose from my belongings and that just didn’t work for me. It was all or nothing. By the fall of 2012 I found a set decoration company that took everything down to my silverware. It took all day and eight people, and two trucks, but by the end of the day it was me and the two cats. ( those two served me well)

By November of 2012 I was out of my lease and was able to move in with my boyfriend. Looking back, my sane self likely would never have done this. I knew him only three months but at the time I needed a refuge and it just made sense to my chaotic self.

By December of 2012 I sold my car. My checklist was almost complete. It was time to roll up my sleeves and get to work on this new brand. I had nothing in place, no idea where it was going, but I knew one thing about it’s direction, it would provide professional help for a healing home.

2013 became the year of my divorce. Some days were good, some days were really bad. My own experience proved to me that everyone deserves a space that uplifts them and enhances their mood. No longer a junkyard of random, useless memories, my home became filled with items that made me laugh, uplifted my mood and healed my heart. It became my motto to have Balance, Harmony and a true sense of Home, to enhance my quality of life.

Gates Interior Design is the evolution of this philosophy. When your environment is in harmony, so are you, helping you attract more of the coveted three blessings of health, wealth and happiness. It is my goal to help you transform your life through your home and help you heal your space!

Thank you to those who have supported me through this journey, this is my love letter to you.

XX,

Amanda

Gatesinteriordesign.com