Does Being Calm Make You Lazy or Less Productive?

Does being calm make you lazy or less productive?

This is a question I’m often asked.

My clients often assume if they slow down their thinking and stop continuously running through their to-do list in their mind, they will miss something.

As one client said to me, “It feels as if I have so many plates spinning in the air and I’m afraid to put them down or I’ll forget one.”

Sometimes they share with me their worry that if they adopt a more calm and composed leadership style, they will lose their drive to succeed that’s led them to be successful their whole life.

When we are used to having a busy mind and we think it’s a necessity to be pushing ourselves forward 24/7, it can seem intimidating to step into a new way of being and adopt a calm demeanor we never knew existed.

I asked one of my mentors a similar question as I was going deeper into this new understanding.

As a high achiever myself with no ‘off switch’, I was used to only feeling content and relaxed for a short period of time after I achieved something. The rest of my days were spent in a state of high pressure, being hard on myself, and always hearing in the background of my mind that whatever I was doing or whatever I had was never enough.

I asked my mentor, “I am feeling so good now on a regular basis regardless of what I’m doing during the day. Is there a risk that I move into a state of apathy about the values and goals that I care deeply about?”

He replied, “When you are sitting in your own well-being, you are in the complete opposite state of apathy. You are facing situations you care deeply about and are acting on them with a passion for positive change”.

And as I have seen this now for myself, I can see it for others, too.

By living with a calm and peaceful demeanor, you do not run the risk of being lazy or less productive.

You still have the same drive, the same fire, burning inside of you.

You are driven in a way that does not feel high-pressure and stressful. You have found your well-being first and then are acting on your passion and drive to create positive change in the world.

You are more productive.

When you are acting from a place of calm and peace, your mind is clear and quiet. You don’t have all the mental noise cluttering your mind distracting you. This means you are more focused and can accomplish more in the same amount of time.

With a clearer mind, suddenly you feel like you have space in your life.

Space to sleep better.

Space to slow down.

Space to spend time being present with your loved ones.

Space to relax.

And by creating that space in your life, it continues to increase your calm, contentment, and peace, which further increases your productivity. It’s a positive cycle.

It’s interesting how our minds will never tell us to slow down.

But it’s the mind keeping itself trapped in a state of busy-ness.

And if being busy is all that your mind has ever known, it can feel scary to act in a different way, in unknown territory.

But remember every thought you think isn’t true.

And the REAL you, your calm center, is the one observing your thoughts.

Because you are not your thoughts.

These past few weeks over the holidays I have been reflecting on how to share the positive change that I am driven to create in the world.

And what I have landed on is that what I do is what I believe.

What I believe is that we all have a calm center inside of us. And we can choose to live from a space of stress and overwhelm, or from of a place of calm, contentment, and peace.

I’m looking forward to another year of sharing calm, contentment, and peace with you.

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A rising tide lifts all boats!

-Tracey