Personal story: Looking above the clutter of life
If you raise your gaze above the hustle, you can see constant beauty, shares Adam Clark, co-founder of Mentemia.
Last year I was visiting Prague in the Czech Republic. Stunning city, by the way. Steeped in history, some of it incredibly recent.
My wife and I were walking in the city with a local, Adela, who bemoaned all the tourist traps (souvenir shops, massage parlours, low-brow restaurants).
Adela said, “in Prague now, you need to look up”.
If you see trinket shops, look above them. She was so right.
If you raise your gaze above the tourist traps, it makes it easier to ignore them. You see the enduring beauty of Prague and the Czech culture. It makes you feel good.
This experience in Prague reminded me of something Sir John Kirwan (my business partner and Mentemia co-founder) told me when we first started working together.
One of JK’s techniques for feeling better every day is to walk slower.
For me, this technique has been incredibly helpful.
Walking slower helps me to remove the hustle from my life for a few precious minutes. To take the tension out of my body and give my mind a rest.
When I started to slow down, I realised I’d spent the majority of my life walking with my head down, unobservant of what’s around me, just focused on getting from A to B.
Walking used to be about getting from the car to the office; from one office to another; from the car to the shops; to coach kids sports teams. It used to be a necessary evil.
Today, walking is something I look forward to. It calms me and makes me feel better. Less anxious, more grateful.
Walking helps me give back to myself. I’m observant. I’m engaged with nature. I’m also engaged with the community (it’s hard to make eye contact with the pavement!).
Sure, it means a three-minute walk turns into a five-minute walk. But, five minutes of pleasure is a lot better than three minutes of admin.
And, so it was in Prague that Adela’s comments reinforced for me the need to walk slower, to look up when I walk, and to take my mind to a restful place above the clutter of life.
Thanks, Adela. And thanks, JK. Here’s to looking up.