In my latest video, I told you the story of how I became a content creator.

You can watch (or re-watch) the video here:

Of course, there are many life-changing stories not shared in that video.

I would rather share them with you when the timing is right.

And trusting timing is one of the most important lessons I had to learn–and still learning to embrace to this day.

I will introduce you to a new Chinese expression shortly.

But first, let’s talk about urgency.

We live in a culture of urgency.

If you’ve ever worried about being behind in life, you are not alone.

We live a faster life than we did ten years ago.

With the rise of AI, we have entered an era of doing more in even less time.

But at what cost?

As a consultant dietitian, I meet with people from all walks of life.

In our sessions, we dive deep into their habits, routines and barriers that stop them from eating healthy.

Over time, a pattern started to emerge:

Many people are suffering from living in urgency.

No matter their age or social status, many are:

• Burnt out
• Sleep deprived
• Anxious and restless
• Feeling exhausted but unable to stop hustling

Because resting and slowing down make them feel guilty.

Guilty of not being productive.

Guilty of not performing at top speed.

So they hustle. They rush through one thing to get to the next.

Underneath it all, there is an insidious current of anxiety:

“What if I am not enough?”

When you rush, you abandon clarity.

Psychoanalyst and psychiatrist Carl Jung once famously said:

Hurry is not of the devil, it is the devil.

– Carl Jung

Because rushing does not equate to taking meaningful actions.

Trying to control the pace of progress can inadvertently stall or even ruin the very thing we want to see happen.

And this message is greatly emphasized in the Chinese folktale 拔苗助长 (bá miáo zhù zhǎng).

• 拔 (bá) = To pull
• 苗 (miáo) = seedlings or sprouts
• 助 (zhù) = To help
• 长 (zhǎng) = To grow

Let me tell you the story of the farmer who pulled his crops up in order to help them grow faster.

Once upon a time…

There was a farmer who cared deeply for his crops.

He carefully planted the seeds, diligently watered them, and inspected the field every day.

To his disappointment, the seedlings seemed to grow way too slowly.

Every time he passed by the field, his worry grew.

“Why are they still so short?” he thought, “what if they never grow tall enough?”

One day, the farmer came up with a brilliant idea:

“Since the crops are not growing fast enough, I can help them out.”

So he went into the field and started pulling each seedling upwards.

He worked tirelessly from morning until night. By the time he finished, the crops all appeared taller than before.

That night, the farmer returned home and announced proudly to his family:

“Today, I helped all the crops grow faster!”

His son, puzzled by this claim, hurried to the field the next morning to see for himself.

And he was shocked to see that every single seedling had wilted.

Their roots were damaged by the tugging. The entire field of crops was ruined.

The farmer had good intentions.

However, in his eagerness to speed up the process, he had destroyed what could only grow with time.

Meaningful growth often happens in the invisible.

Many people avoid stillness and rest, because they have mistaken motion for meaning.

But an essential part of growth simply cannot be quantified by metrics or your to-do list.

Your identity, your calling, and your faith are all incubated, refined, and revealed slowly over time.

Just like how seeds must first grow into roots underground, before the budding sprouts appear above the soil.

There is a quote that really resonated with me:

Slow is not a speed, it is precision.

– Matt Gottesman

Because slowing down allows clarity to naturally emerge.

You want to know whether you are doing the right work, with the right friends, or in the right partnership?

The only way to know is to take the time to understand yourself and the life you are building.

Take the time to grow your capacity to observe life beyond the superficial.

After all, time always tells the truth.

So slow down, my friends.

Maybe, for today, just slow down enough to notice the blooming flowers and fresh summer air all around you.

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Until next week. 🙂

Lots of love,

Crystal