Day 38 of 100 Days of Hope
Go Slow to Go Fast: Finding Your Essence Pace in Midlife
As a life coach for midlife moms, I often see women trying to keep up with the constant pressure to do more, be more, and achieve more. Somewhere along the way, we bought into the belief that faster means better. But what if that’s not true?
What if your real answers lie in slowing down?
The Myth of Speed and the Cost of Burnout
As midlife moms, we’ve spent years running—carpooling, working, caring for others, and trying to hold everything together. We’ve been told to keep up or get left behind. But there’s nothing glorious about burnout. Burnout steals your joy, your creativity, and your connection to yourself.
Stephen Covey once said, “With people, slow is fast and fast is slow.”
That wisdom runs deep. When you slow down long enough to truly listen—to yourself, to your body, and to the people you love—you actually move forward with more clarity, purpose, and grace.
Finding Your Essence Pace
There is a pace to life that is uniquely yours. I call it your essence pace—a rhythm that allows you to move through your days with ease and awareness instead of anxiety and urgency.
Try this simple exercise:
Take a few minutes in a quiet space and experiment with your walking pace.
First, walk quickly and notice your breath, your thoughts, your posture.
Then, slow down—almost to a crawl—and notice again.
Finally, settle into a pace that feels natural, relaxed, and alive.
That’s your essence pace. It’s the rhythm of your soul—the place where your body feels at home, your breath expands, and your mind clears.
Living at your essence pace doesn’t mean giving up on your dreams or being unproductive. It means you move with presence and intention. You become more you.
Lessons from the Slow Life
Cheryl Richardson teaches the power of slowing down through small daily actions:
Walk slower.
Talk slower.
Drive slower.
Write slower.
For her, slowing down is a sacred form of self-care. It allows you to notice what matters, to feel gratitude, and to connect to your inner wisdom.
When I was raising my kids, I used to rush everything—bedtime routines, meals, mornings. I thought speed would make life easier. But it only created stress. Looking back, I see how taking a few extra minutes could have created more peace, laughter, and connection.
Even now, as we work on projects around the house, I’ve learned that it’s not about finishing fast. It’s about how we feel while doing it. That’s the gift of slowing down—it transforms ordinary moments into meaningful ones.
Slowing Down Is Not Giving Up—It’s Waking Up
There was a time I was a “human doer” instead of a “human being.” I filled every moment with tasks, thinking productivity equaled worth. But it cost me presence, joy, and real connection.
Now, I choose space. I choose breath. I choose to live at my essence pace—and it’s changed everything.
So, dear midlife mom, what would it look like for you to slow down?
What could you say “no” to, to make room for what truly matters?
How would living at your essence pace serve you today?
Give yourself permission to slow down. To savor. To breathe. To be.
Because your worth has never been measured by how fast you go—it’s reflected in how deeply you live.
Here is a little video where I share more about this concept.
With love and hope,
Julie Burningham
Certified Life Coach for Midlife Moms
💛 Helping women rediscover their light, one breath at a time.