I’ve always been a fast walker – just ask anyone that has tried to walk next to me, and they’ll tell you. Recently, when power walking through the university, I felt my heart beating too fast. The next day, it was the same story. This led me to have an epiphany: this doesn’t feel good on my body, and perhaps it’s time to slow down.

I then thought about all my power walking and all the times that I might’ve missed conversations with people because I was too focused on trying to get where I was going instead of the person talking to me. Additionally, because I walk so fast, people sometimes struggle to keep up with me, this usually leads to people being so out of breath that we cannot have a conversation at all!

There might’ve also been times when I was so caught up in my stride that I might have seen someone in passing try and stop to chat with me, but I already had such a fast stride going I missed them entirely and the moment passed.

Something else I noticed while walking is the classic text and walk: people looking down at their screens, scrolling, texting, etc. I, too, have been guilty of this. I feel an immediate need to review emails, texts and social media notifications while I power walk through life because the world moves very fast and I want to stay on top of things.

In an era of scrolling, texting and emailing, I feel a pressure to respond as fast as I possibly can, because I feel if I do not, then I’m leaving people in limbo. We live in a 24/7 news cycle where people update every facet of their lives online. If I stay off a social media platform for an hour, do not check LinkedIn constantly as I’m looking for jobs or don’t answer a text right away, I feel I’m going to miss something.

The same concept applies with fast walking; I’m a person who likes to have an eye on whatever is coming next, whether it be that class I have to get to, the meeting that starts in five minutes or the radio program that goes live in 10 minutes. I had this idea that there was always something coming up and that the object of the present moment was to get there as fast as possible.

What propels this belief is that some situations can be very nerve wracking, such as a big test or interview. Sometimes, we have the philosophy that the quicker we go toward that moment, the quicker it will pass. But what about the moment we’re currently in? Doesn’t that count for something?

In fact, it might calm the anxieties that propel fast walking to find out that the person in that class walking beside you – maybe a little slower than you are – might also be nervous about the exam coming up and wants to share their thoughts on the class. Or maybe, the slower-walking guy next to you on your way to the career fair also doesn’t have a job lined up for after graduation and is just as terrified as you. In my experience, finding things that people have in common with you usually makes you feel calmer about the world you’re in because you realize there are people like you in it.

If we spend our time trying to bypass these moments and speed up our lives just to get to the next thing, we’re going to miss what’s around us. Whatever new Instagram story, text message or email we’ve been notified of on our phone will be waiting when we get back from where we’re going and what we’re doing. The future assignments, goals and plans that we have to check off our lists will be waiting for us – the present moment won’t be. So let’s try to slow down and enjoy it, shall we?