Before writing this article, I was looking through my notes app and noticed a common theme.
I think many of us can admit there’s a quiet shift happening beneath the surface, and the craving we have for some stillness in our culture is louder than ever.
I laughed when I recently heard a speaker in Charleston reference a “famous theologian” noting all the “noise, noise, noise” (a Grinch reference). It was a solid hook.
More than ever, people and businesses are starting to prioritize value, intention, and meaningful experiences. But doing that requires resisting the constant pull of hustle and hurry.
A few years ago, I joined a 30/40s small discussion group where we listened to podcasts and talked through takeaways. One always comes to mind during busy seasons or when I feel fatigue creeping in: Fight Hustle, End Hurry (Spotify, Apple) by John Mark Comer and Jefferson Bethke.
The central idea wasn’t about abandoning ambition or productivity. It was about rejecting the urgency-driven culture that shapes so much of how we live. It challenged me to think about simplicity, rest, and boundaries not as withdrawal, but as clarity. A way to protect attention, identity, and what actually matters.
That perspective also made me think about influences; how we engage with technology, structure our days, and show up in relationships and work.
Choosing presence (and peace) over pace
One of the most important reframes I gathered was between pace and presence.
Pace—how fast we move through life. Presence—how deeply we experience it.
Modern life increases pace by default. There are notifications, scrolling, packed schedules, and constant information that encourages reaction over reflection. Presence is what gives life a richness in the ability to be fully where you are. It allows conversations to deepen, ideas to form, and decisions to become more grounded.
It’s something we can choose to cultivate, not by doing more, but by doing less of what fragments our attention.
Leading with delegation and trust
How nice is it to remember that we don’t have to do it all to make an impact?
The pressure to constantly produce, respond, and achieve can pull us away from our best work, not toward it.
When everything is urgent, nothing is truly prioritized. My partner reminds me to “focus on the closest alligator to the boat.” In other words, deal with what matters most right in front of you.
One of the most sustainable ways to lead yourself and others well is through delegation, not just as task-sharing, but as trust. We signal belief in someone else’s capability and create space for others to grow. We understand and accept that we can’t be “on” all the time. For many of us, especially those with strong work ethics or caring instincts, this is difficult.
I’ve also seen what happens when that boundary doesn’t exist, leading to burnout and overextension, even with the best intentions. I’ve seen a hardworking father as a young girl with the biggest servant heart and resilient work ethic drive himself to exhaustion.
Leadership requires vulnerability. That can look like setting boundaries, stepping away at a reasonable time, redesigning schedules/workflows, or allowing rest to be part of the rhythm of life, not something after near depletion.
With intentional boundaries, we can still lead. We simply stop confusing and defining limitation with failure.
It also helps to regularly ask: are we focused on maintenance or mission? If we don’t choose where our time goes, everything will compete for it. A focused life is one where priorities are clear, even if they are not always easy to live out.
One of the notes jotted down was:
“Within these boundaries, we can still cultivate and lead generously. We are leading in some way whether through work, friendships, family, or service. We need to accept our limitations; limitations may feel like an end to ourselves, but when we strive to prove we can do it we also risk the peace available in our surrender.”
Slowing down to see clearly
Slowing down is often mistaken for falling behind, but it invites clarity.
When we are constantly moving and consuming information, we lose space to process what we are experiencing. When we slow down, even slightly, we begin to notice patterns, priorities, and perspective.
The goal isn’t to do less in life, but to experience more of it.
The power of quieting input
We live in an era of constant access to information and ideas. It’s valuable, but without boundaries, it can begin to shape us more than we shape ourselves.
Doom-scrolling, constant content verses posts with intention, can lead us into passive consumption and dry outcomes.
When we step back, even briefly, we regain clarity about what actually matters to us, not just what is being shown to us.
This isn’t about disconnecting from the world. It’s about reconnecting with our own thinking within it.
I saw a video on Instagram a few months ago where a man shared how he'd always wanted to hike a certain summit, but before he had the chance, he saw someone else's video at the peak. He said he took a break from social media because, while it's incredible to have so many perspectives at our fingertips, it can also lessen the anticipation and presence of experiencing something for ourselves.
It reminded me that fighting hustle and hurry isn't just about slowing our schedules. Endless input, scrolling, and consuming can keep us moving from one thing to the next without ever fully experiencing where we are.
Living and leading with intention
A friend and pastor here noted, “Sometimes our activity and identity can get wrapped up together” (work/career, relationships, hobbies/interests).
We don’t need to match the speed or activity of everything around us to live fully. We can choose a rhythm that values reflection as much as action, creates space for thinking, and separates urgency from importance.
The goal isn’t to escape hustle because hustle is “bad.” It’s to rise above its pressure or notion that it defines our identity, success, or value.
