Dear all,
Today, I want to talk about TIME.
Not the weather forecast, but time itself – passing by: that bastard!
…or maybe not…
Do you know this story?
A young man, full of questions, climbs up to meet an old wise man in the Himalayan mountains. He asks:
“Master, is there life after death?”
The sage looks at him intensely and replies:
“The real question is rather: Is there life before death?”
Behind this story lies a reflection: Are we truly living? A life full of meaning, joy, presence in each moment?
Or are we merely surviving – slaves to time, to a society that pushes us to run faster and faster, missing the essence of life?
In other words: Are we alive, or just surviving?
If time is our most precious treasure, why have we reached a point where we waste it, exhausting ourselves for things that rarely make us better, happier, or more fulfilled?
The faster we run, the more time seems to slip through our fingers – and the more we miss what truly matters.
As I often say in my trainings: “Running a sprint along the path of life not only hurts and exhausts us – it also prevents us from enjoying the view!” And the view is often so beautiful.
So, is time a curse, or a gift?
The way we relate to time is at the root of so many of our fears and struggles – individually and collectively. Modern society, technological progress, the internet – all promised us to save time. Instead, they trapped us in the cult of speed, efficiency, productivity, “more, faster, better,” quantity over quality.
Disconnected from nature and the cycles of life, addicted to our phones and instant gratification, buried under information and possibilities, trapped by the FOMO (fear of missing out)… we run. Faster. Too fast. Until we burn out – personally and as a society.
A collective burnout.
So, how do we step off the hamster wheel? How do we stop this culture of exhaustion and return to wholeness, reconnecting body and soul?
Maybe it starts with the simplest thing: finding the right rhythm. Taking care of ourselves. Returning to what matters. Allowing time not for doing or producing, but for being – feeling, sharing, dreaming, regenerating. Living in the present, more simply, more authentically.
Easier said than done, right? How to slow down when the world around us never stops?
Here are 4 ways to begin:
Make breaks a priority – don’t wait for the next vacation to breathe!
Reconnect with nature and the cycles of life.
Quiet the mind, and reinvest in the heart and the body (this can be learned – it’s my work). Start by closing your eyes and breathing deeply.
Learn to recover and manage your energy over the long term, like athletes do (through sleep, nutrition, positive psychology, recovery rituals).
The good news: we can relearn to live in the present and free ourselves from burnout patterns. That’s why I created the Deceleration Camp, 6 years ago, with the conviction that:
·
By changing our relationship to time, we can heal ourselves and create a society that respects life.
By experiencing true deceleration – digital detox, immersion in nature, mindful nutrition, daily body and energy practices, silence, breath, reflection on our values and purpose, and the magic of collective sharing – we can find our right rhythm.
And that the key to all of this is reconnecting with the body.
The goal of the Deceleration Camp is not to glorify slowness or demonize speed, but to find balance between acceleration and deceleration. To slow down… in order to rise again with clarity and strength.
I’m grateful to see so many other retreats emerging in recent years: #silence, #meditation, #regeneration. Our tired society is starting to realize how essential they are. I can only invite you to experience them.
Let me also share one of my favorite TEDx talks, by Pierre Rabhi: “Is there life before death?” A powerful reflection on progress, technology, overconsumption – and the survival (or not) of humanity. His message: We will only survive by reconnecting to the heart and to life itself.
To live fully is perhaps first to recognize the inestimable value of life – so we can savor it.
Living better with time begins with changing the way we look at it.
I invite you to let go of the tyranny of “chronos” – measured, quantitative time – and embrace:
Aiôn: the cyclical time of life and nature (seasons, sleep, breath), to restore rhythm and balance.
Kairos: the qualitative, opportune time – the chance we seize – to find joy and meaning.
The present moment: time of presence, senses, body, and heart.
I also recommend Philippe Borrel’s excellent documentary “The Emergency of Slowing Down”, which deeply inspired me when I began my research on time and deceleration.
I wish you to live each minute with full awareness, presence, gratitude, and alignment – to live time not as a curse, but as a gift.
Take care, until next month,
Alice
TRAIN YOURSELF
Training in time management, stress management and energy management at work