I was sitting at my desk last Tuesday, staring at a calendar that looked like a Tetris game played by someone who was losing.
My heart rate was up and I had this nagging, itching feeling in the back of my skull that I was behind. Behind on what? I couldn’t tell you. I just knew that everyone else seemed to be further ahead, moving faster, and checking off boxes that I hadn’t even printed yet.
I had Spotify on with my AmK playlist which is about 300 songs of all genres.
And The piano intro started: melancholic but steady. And then Billy Joel hit me with that opening line: “Slow down, you crazy child. You’re so ambitious for a juvenile.”
It felt like a personal call-out.
We live in a world that is fundamentally obsessed with speed. We want faster downloads, faster career paths, faster weight loss, and faster “life hacks” to make us even more efficient at being fast. We’ve turned life into a 100-meter dash, but we’re running it on a treadmill that never stops.
The truth is, the fastest way to burn out is to try to beat a clock that isn’t even ticking.
The Great “Hurry Sickness”
In our lives and in the business world, I see it every single day. I call it “Hurry Sickness.” It’s the belief that if you aren’t sprinting, you’re standing still. And if you’re standing still, you’re failing.
We treat our careers like a race where the finish line keeps moving. We look at LinkedIn and see a former classmate getting a promotion, and suddenly, our own progress feels like a failure. We see a competitor launch a new product, and we feel the urge to rush ours to market, even if it isn’t ready.
But here is the secret: Life isn’t a sprint: it’s a long, winding road with room to breathe.
When we rush, we lose nuance. We lose the ability to see the “Vienna” waiting for us. In the song, Vienna represents a place of maturity, a destination that is always there regardless of how fast you run toward it.
Billy Joel wasn’t saying “don’t work hard.” He was saying “don’t work so hard at the wrong pace that you forget why you’re working at all.”
The Science of the Pace
Ironically, when we look at the peak of human performance, the lesson isn’t “run as fast as you can until your heart explodes.” It’s quite the opposite.
Think about Eliud Kipchoge. In 2019, he did the unthinkable: he ran a marathon in under two hours. And where did he do it? Vienna.
Now, you might think, “Andrew, that’s a literal race. Doesn’t that prove we should be sprinting?”
Actually, it proves the opposite. Kipchoge didn’t break that record by sprinting wildly. He did it through a meticulously designed pace. He had a team of pacemakers in a reverse-V formation to reduce drag. He had a scientific system for hydration. He knew exactly how fast he needed to go at every second to maintain his energy for the long haul.
Even the fastest man in history knows that you can’t win a marathon by running it like a 400-meter dash.
In our lives, we often act like we don’t need pacemakers. We think we can “brute force” our way through 60-hour weeks and high-stress seasons without a strategy for recovery.
Sustainable excellence requires a sustainable pace.
Why Slowing Down is a Power Move
I used to think that “slowing down” was a euphemism for “giving up.” I thought it meant being lazy. But as I’ve worked with more teams and leaders, I’ve realized that slowing down is actually a form of high-level wisdom.
It’s about choosing presence over pressure.
When you slow down, you start to notice the things that actually matter. You notice the morale of your team. You notice the small flaw in the project that would have cost you thousands later. You notice that your “urgency” is often just a mask for your anxiety.
Here are five principles to help you stop sprinting and start living:
1. Audit Your “Shoulds”
Most of the pressure we feel comes from invisible timelines we’ve inherited. “I should be a VP by 30.” “I should have a million in the bank by 40.” “I should be further along.” Ask yourself: Who wrote these rules? If the race was never yours to begin with, why are you trying so hard to win it?
Your timeline belongs to you, not the expectations of others.
2. Practice the “Strategic Pause”
In a world that demands instant replies, the most powerful thing you can do is wait. Take ten minutes before hitting “send” on that frustrated email. Take a day before making a pivot in your business. This isn’t procrastination; it’s clarity.
Clarity is a byproduct of space.
3. Focus on “Becoming,” Not Just “Doing”
We get so obsessed with the destination that we hate the journey. But the journey is where the growth happens. The frustrations, the delays, and the “winding roads” are shaping you into a leader who can actually handle the success when it arrives.
You are a person to be developed, not a machine to be optimized.
4. Build a “Pacemaker” Support System
Just like Kipchoge in Vienna, you need a team that helps you maintain your pace. This might be a coach, a mentor, or a group of peers who remind you when you’re redlining. You don’t have to carry the wind resistance alone.
Great things are achieved through collective rhythm, not individual burnout.
5. Reclaim Your Seasons
Some seasons of life are meant for high growth. Others are meant for planting seeds. And some are meant for rest. If you try to harvest in the winter, you’ll just end up with frozen hands and no fruit.
You aren’t late; you’re simply in a different season.
The View from Vienna
I’ve talked to a lot of friends who “made it.” They reached the top of the mountain. They got the title, the house, and the prestige.
And you know what most of them tell me?
They wish they hadn’t rushed through the middle. They wish they’d enjoyed the years when they were “becoming” instead of constantly looking at the next milestone.
Billy Joel sings, “You’ve got your passion, you’ve got your pride. But don’t you know that only fools are satisfied?”
There will always be something more to do. There will always be another goal to chase. If you wait until you’ve “arrived” to be happy, you’ll be waiting forever. Vienna is waiting for you, but it’s not going anywhere. It’ll be there when you arrive, whether you get there today or ten years from now.
So, take a breath. Look around.
The world will tell you that you’re falling behind. The world will tell you that you’re late. But the world doesn’t know your story.
You’re not late. You’re right on time for your life.
Stop Sprinting
At Next Level Us, we don’t just teach people how to work harder. We teach people how to lead smarter. We help teams find their rhythm so they can perform at a high level without losing their souls in the process. Because a team that is constantly sprinting is a team that is about to break.
Whether it’s through mindset coaching or leadership training, our goal is to help you build a culture where “Vienna” isn’t just a destination: it’s a way of moving.
If you’re tired of the sprint, let’s talk. We can help you find a pace that actually takes you where you want to go.
Stop sprinting ( your future will wait for you.)
