The Three Questions That Began My Slow Living Journey

(Adapted from Julie's YouTube video)

I was recently contemplating what started my journey to a slower lifestyle. I know I had been burnt out for years of working too much, trying to do too much and was really yearning for a simpler life, yet I don't think that's what started me down the path of slow living.

I remember one evening, when I was resting in savasana on my yoga mat and the instructor of the class had shared with us three questions that she and her husband answer every night while lying in bed. This was a life-changing moment for me, as I decided to practice these questions myself. In doing so it opened up the door for to me to begin thinking differently.  

I think maybe this was my first step on my slow living journey, because before I could begin to live slowly, I had to learn to think differently. These questions helped me do that.

I want to share them with you here, because I found them to be so transformative–so much so, that I later asked Rachel, the yoga instructor, if I could use them in a journal that I was creating. Fortunately she did give me permission to use them and they remain in all the JMB Living Journals today. So many people using these journals have written and told me what a game changer they have been, so I hope they will be for you too.

Though I strongly believe in the power of writing things down, you don't have to use a journal to use these questions on a daily basis. If you don't want to write them in a journal, try making them part of your pillow practice at night. I do stress though, that this is a practice, because the transformative power lies in the process of training your brain to think differently.

Here are the questions: 

Question 1: What was your best win of the day?

Too often we wait for big accomplishments to celebrate, but this question gets you in the habit of seeing the value of small wins and how these can lead to big changes. It could be something as simple as taking a well needed break for the day or following through on your intention to take a walk. 

Through repetition, the question begins to shift your perspective. If you haven't heard of the concept of neuroplasticity, basically is the process by which your brain continues to change physically throughout your whole life. You continue to form new neural pathways and by asking yourself this question (as well as the next two questions), you form pathways that foster positivity and a focus on what's really important to you.

Question 2: What beauty did I notice today? 

It's easy to walk through life with blinders on, just paying attention to where you're going and forgetting to enjoy the scenery along the way. Yet when we stop to notice what we find is beautiful and then take the time to appreciate it with a sense of awe, happiness usually follows.

This practice pulls you strongly into the present moment, because when you focus on beauty, you're not worried about what's going to happen in the future and you're not ruminating about something that happened in the past. Asking this question on a daily basis gets you in the habit of trying to seek out more beauty in your life. It's all around us, but you just have to slow down enough to look for it. This question helps you to remember to do that.

Question 3: What gave me joy?

It's also easy to think it's just the big things in life bring you joy–like taking a vacation. Or maybe you do recognize that things like spending quality time with your family bring you joy, but that it's hard to find enough of this time.

Yet there is more joy to be found in simple everyday moments. I didn't realize how much joy I get from simply taking a walk in the woods or sipping a favorite hot drink. When you begin to recognize that these type of moments bring you a great deal of joy as well, then you begin to remember to include them more often in your days.

Ideally, you will remember to stop and slow down enough to notice some of the nuances of what you are enjoying while you're engaging in the activity, such as how fascinating the steam looks as it rises from you mug, or how much you enjoy the sound of the birds while taking a walk. Noticing these small moments can't help but add a little more happiness to your day.  

I really encourage you to give these questions a try and see what happens for you. ❤️