What if You Didn't Have to Run Anymore
You know how to move mountains. You know how to keep going when everyone else wants to stop. You know how to turn your restlessness into results that everyone admires. But you rarely acknowledge to yourself or others that underneath all that drive, there’s a longing for peace.
The irony is that your restlessness is often the very thing that keeps you from finding it. You can sit still on the outside and still be racing on the inside. You can take a vacation and still carry tension in your body. You can even convince yourself you’re “resting” while your mind runs through the next idea, the next deal, the next way to prove you’re worth it.
You’ve probably heard people tell you to slow down. But slowing down isn’t enough. Stopping is what changes everything.
The Power of Truly Stopping
Stopping is more than putting your phone down or stepping away from the office. It’s the practice of arriving in your own life. It’s telling yourself there is nowhere else you need to be.
You might think rest is something your mind needs. And it does! But your body needs it too. The truth is your mind and your body are not separate. When you push your body to keep moving, your mind keeps moving too. When your mind is agitated, your body holds on to that stress.
You can’t think your way into peace. You have to feeeeeel your way there. Learning to stop is building the muscle to be fully present right here, right now.
When you take a breath and feel it all the way into your belly, you’re telling yourself you don’t have to run anymore. When you feel your feet on the ground and your shoulders drop, you’re telling your body it’s safe to be here.
Stopping shows you what’s been driving you all along. It gives you a clear look at the old patterns and pressures that push you to chase one more milestone. Stopping is how you transform that habit.
Freedom Is Found in Stillness
There’s a habit energy in you that believes you have to keep running to be okay. You likely inherited or learned it. Maybe from your parents. Maybe from a culture that rewards speed over stillness. Maybe from a lifetime of proving yourself.
But you are the turning point. You can choose to be the one who stops. The one who says, “I have arrived. I am home in my own life.” The one who knows that true freedom comes when you stop letting restlessness run the show.
You don’t lose your drive. You reclaim it. You make it work for you instead of against you. You learn to be driven and have peace at the same time. You learn that your best ideas, your clearest insights, and your deepest healing come when you stop running.
Journaling Prompt:
Where in your life do you feel the constant urge to keep running? What would it look like if you gave yourself permission to stop, even for one breath?
Final Thought
Remember, you don’t have to keep running. You don’t have to earn your way to peace. It’s here. It’s always been here, waiting for you to arrive.
"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you." — Anne Lamott
Wishing you lots of joy ♥️.
Much love + gratitude,
Rob