Not long ago, I bought a new car. The salesman introduced us to Eco-Drive — a technology to minimize fuel consumption reducing the vehicle's environmental impact. It struck me. What would it look like to live in Eco-Drive?

I’ve done intentional work to move my wardrobe into Eco-Drive. But on that test drive, I was brewing. Why isn't Eco-Drive the default setting?

We’re told better is faster, not just in cars but in our lives too. It’s apparent in mantras like: Go big or go home, What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, Failure is not an option, When the going gets tough, the tough get going, and 

Blood, sweat, and tears. We need new mantras.

Is it any surprise that we don't embrace a slower, more mindful tempo? An Eco-Drive pace? Author Greg McKeown points out that this mindset of incessant drive and ambition leads to widespread burnout and diminishing returns, particularly among high achievers. For me, that hits home.

Three years into starting my first company, I learned the humbling and brutal reality of business: you can do everything in your power and still fail. Building a company requires a large amount of hard work with no guarantee you’ll build a great company. 

Countless individuals have drunk the Kool-Aid, myself included, thinking sheer determination could bend life to their will. But if 2020 taught us anything, it’s that life will show us how little control we really have. 

9 out of 10 startups fail. Only a select few reach the WNBA. We’ve created a pressure cooker environment with low success rates, and then we blame ourselves for the failure. It’s time to question a culture that taught us outcomes are the full reflection of who we are. 

I am becoming more about setting my own life’s tempo. Doing mindful work with less of my identity attached to the result. It starts with practices that anchor me in Eco-Drive.

Here are a few I’ve set in place:

    1    Digital Sabbath: One day a week, I don’t check any e-mail, slack, or social media. Giving myself mental space to hear my own thoughts without scrolling through those of others. 

    2    Silencing Work: related notifications on my phone: I used to feel constantly behind. I came to realize being bombarded at all hours of the day wasn’t helping. Now, I check my email, slack, or social media at certain points throughout the day. I’m prioritizing my work rather than my work prioritizing me.

3    Mindful Shopping: I curate my wardrobe each season. Then, make a short list of items I’d like to add. It frames intentional buying habits. 

4    Daily Walks: When I walk, I’m a better human, period. (I’m an even better human on the beach.) I need to be in nature, and walking is the consistent antidote to bad days.

5     Morning Reading: Reading in the morning is a rhythm as valued as my cup of coffee. Even a page is all it takes to move my mind in a new direction. From hustle to unhurried, reading gives me perspective.

This is what living in Eco-Drive mode looks like for me. Consider this permission to borrow some if you like, but your tempo may not be mine. That’s okay. Take time to listen to yourself and make your own rhythm.