I was having a conversation the other day, and the topic at hand was the fact that I talk slower, walk slower, do everything slower than most people these days. I thought I'd share the reason with everyone. The reason I do everything so slowly is that it gives me the time to do it deliberately. Every step I take, I take deliberately. Every word I say, I say deliberately. What I respond to and how I react is deliberate.
Most of us are living reactive lifestyles. Something happens and we respond immediately. Something is said and we shoot back a response, often times regrettably. We rush through life, missing most of what is happening around us and within us. We don't stop and smell the roses, so to speak. So I think a big part of attaining inner peace is to slow down. Do everything you do at 50% of your regular speed, or 75% of your regular speed. Slow it down, talk slower, walk slower, and look around. Revel in the moment you're in. Smell the flowers, enjoy the sky. Think carefully of what you're going to say, listen carefully to what someone else is saying.
Give it a try, for an hour, a day, even ten minutes, slow yourself down and use the extra time you've garnered to really live in the moment and appreciate it for the miracle that it is.