One question people often ask me is why time seems to go faster with age. They see themselves in their 40s and 50s and cannot believe how quickly the years have gone by. Perhaps you find yourself asking the same thing.
Studies show that routine is to blame. The more repetitive things become, the less likely you are to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. You just take each day for granted in rinse and repeat fashion.
That's precisely why we should aim to fill our lives with novel experiences. Whether it's exploring new destinations or trying out new foods, experiences that are unique and uncommon extricate us from the monotony of daily life and give us a fresh perspective. They make us think. They make us pause.
When something is new and exciting, we engross ourselves in it, and we look forward to the next time we can partake in such an experience. Think about all the times we waited with bated breath for Christmas to roll around as children. Having to wait 12 months for that magical day certainly tested our patience. As adults, however, it's "been there, done that." The same goes for birthdays.
It's usually the more infrequent occasions in our lives -- first dates, weddings, funerals, big trips -- that elicit the strongest feelings and thus cause us to live for the moment. What we experience in-between -- driving to work, greeting your spouse every morning, and so forth -- are largely forgettable. The days on which nothing remarkable takes place are largely a blur.
That said, if you want to do your part to "slow" time down, try to fill some of your weekends with new experiences. No one says you have to fork over a fortune on a cruise to the Caribbean. It can be as easy as hitting up that new Japanese restaurant that just opened nearby. Be spontaneous. Savoring the moment can go a long way toward feeling life isn't going by at blazing speed.
Studies show that routine is to blame. The more repetitive things become, the less likely you are to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. You just take each day for granted in rinse and repeat fashion.
That's precisely why we should aim to fill our lives with novel experiences. Whether it's exploring new destinations or trying out new foods, experiences that are unique and uncommon extricate us from the monotony of daily life and give us a fresh perspective. They make us think. They make us pause.
When something is new and exciting, we engross ourselves in it, and we look forward to the next time we can partake in such an experience. Think about all the times we waited with bated breath for Christmas to roll around as children. Having to wait 12 months for that magical day certainly tested our patience. As adults, however, it's "been there, done that." The same goes for birthdays.
It's usually the more infrequent occasions in our lives -- first dates, weddings, funerals, big trips -- that elicit the strongest feelings and thus cause us to live for the moment. What we experience in-between -- driving to work, greeting your spouse every morning, and so forth -- are largely forgettable. The days on which nothing remarkable takes place are largely a blur.
That said, if you want to do your part to "slow" time down, try to fill some of your weekends with new experiences. No one says you have to fork over a fortune on a cruise to the Caribbean. It can be as easy as hitting up that new Japanese restaurant that just opened nearby. Be spontaneous. Savoring the moment can go a long way toward feeling life isn't going by at blazing speed.
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