In a World Addicted to Speed, Slowness is Your Superpower with Carl Honoré
Carl Honoré, voice of the global Slow Movement
Lately I’ve been wanting to wake up and have the first 10 minutes of my day to be full of nothing. Whether it’s refraining from opening my phone, making a to-do list, or sending off an email, I’d really prefer a moment to sit on the couch, or snuggle with my kids and listen to a children’s audiobook.
Maybe we’re all moving a little too fast? As fathers, especially ambitious entrepreneurial dads, it’s easy to put speed into your family life; having a workaholic approach to parenting. But that’s not how it should be.
What if we stopped trying to fill up that time, slowed down, and just experienced being in the moment?
On today’s episode, we have the very inspirational Carl Honoré, who talks about exactly that.
Author of four books, a two-time TED speaker, broadcaster, journalist, and voice of the Slow Movement, Carl has delivered his insight on the benefits of being slow to millions across the globe.
A free-range child of the 80’s, Carl had a slow childhood, and tries hard to give that same upbringing to his two kids. In a time when life is so fast, that’s easier said than done.
He shares his thoughts on how in a world of speedoholics, we should be connecting with our inner tortoise so that we can live our lives and be present for our family.
Carl wants us to know that being slow isn’t just about taking forever to do something. It’s about the right speed. It’s about finding your tempo and being present in the moment. It’s about how you bring balance to your family.
Carl tackles the topic of societal pressures put on parents to deal with their child’s boredom, and argues that the point of unstructured time is exactly when they learn how to be creative and do things that form their identity—which is critical to their development.
As a dad who has felt those same pressures to find something to do, instead of letting my kids figure out how to fill that space, I can tell you this conversation was an eye opening experience.
If you’re like me and have been feeling like you’re racing to the finish line but missing out on those small moments with your kids, I promise you that you won’t want to miss out on today’s episode.
Some of the topics I discuss with Carl Honoré
- Learn about the space you need to give your child to let their genius occur.
- Tackling the challenge to slow down when there’s always that temptation to go quicker.
- What’s toxic hyper-parenting, and how can we avoid it?
- Slow is about the right speed. Learn the right tempo and cadence for living in the moment.
- Do things as well as possible, not as fast as possible.
- How do you find your pocket of time and oasis of calm? How do you alter the perception of the world around you to live in the now?
- Should we be having a full family schedule or is it possible to have too many extracurriculars for our kids?
- Don’t think in terms of winning, but instead strive to be your best. Avoid comparing your parenting to others and the toxic speed that goes with that comparison.
- The key to slow parenting is shutting others out, and looking inward to the kind of parent you want to be and what’s best for your children and your family.
- Less is always more!
Slow down, hold your child’s hand, and figure out who they are together. - Help your kids forge their own path and make parenting more fun, and not a job.
- How do we have balance in our family lives? Learn how to set the metronome for yourself, so that you can serve up a free childhood to your kids.
- How do we pave the road to help our kids, while also letting them discover the context? How do we find that balance?
Carl Honoré Links & Other Resources
- Carl Honoré website
- Follow Carl Honoré on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube
- In Praise of Slowness (Ted Talk) with Carl Honoré
- The Power of Ageing (Ted Talk) with Carl Honoré
- In Praise of Slow: Challenging the Cult of Speed by Carl Honoré
- Under Pressure: Putting the Child Back in Childhood by Carl Honoré
- The Slow Fix: Solve Problems, Work Smarter, and Live Better in a World Addicted to Speed by Carl Honoré
- Boulder: Making The Most Of Our Longer Lives by Carl Honoré
Carl Honoré’s Bio
Carl Honoré is a Canadian best-selling author, broadcaster, journalist, and voice of the Slow Movement. His books In Praise of Slow, Under Pressure, The Slow Fix, and Boulder: Making the Most of our Longer Lives are published in 35 different languages around the world.
After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, Carl was inspired to take up journalism while working with street children in Brazil. He’s been reporting throughout South America and Europe since 1991 and has appeared in multiple publications including the Economist, the Observer, and the National Post to name a few.
Carl is a two-time TEDtalks speaker whose talks have racked up millions of views world-wide. He now travels the world, spreading his message: to thrive in a fast world, you have to slow down.
Carl currently lives in London with his wife and two children.
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Disclaimer: The transcription you’re about to read was produced digitally. It’s 95% accurate, however at times, the system interprets words incorrectly. [/read]
