Guest post by Warren Larkam, one of the men I’ve been working with over the last year.
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About a month ago, it was one of those Sundays when you just want to get out of the house.
Had no specific plans, so I took my bike down to the beach.
On the way back, I took a road near the water. Old neighbourhood with giant trees hanging over the street. There was a bit of a breeze that day – hot but still comfortable. The trees weren’t dropping leaves, but something was falling off them. Little buds. Tiny yellow things floating around in the breeze.
“Everything Hallelujah” by Justin Bieber had just turned on in my headphones (yes, I am 100% a converted Belieber after Coachella).
I looked up while riding my bike. The little buds were floating down, and everything went into slow motion.
I knew in real time that I was experiencing a special moment. It only lasted about seven seconds.
What made it different was knowing it was special while it was happening. Usually you have a beautiful moment, then look back and think, damn, that was amazing. This time I was in it and watching it at the same time.
Fully present, time slowing down, music playing, and recognizing I should appreciate it – all at once.
I even considered looping back around and doing it again, but I decided quickly that it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. Can’t be recreated. So I didn’t try.
A week later I came across something from Wayne Levine at BetterMen Coaching that helped me make sense of those 7 seconds.
He said: your thoughts race toward the future, and they move much faster than time actually does. The clock ticks slowly. Days move slowly. Weeks, months, years. If you could sync the pace of your thoughts to the pace of time, you wouldn’t be racing into the future. Racing into anxiety. Racing into a world where you’re just making things up anyway.
Look at a clock. It ticks once per second. That’s how fast life is actually moving.
Everything else – the fear of waking up in a year and nothing has changed, the fear of being the one who talked about it but never did it, the fear of feeling too far behind to ever catch up – all of that shit is moving faster than real life.
Slow down your thoughts to the speed of time.
That’s exactly what happened on the bike. For 7 seconds, my thoughts weren’t racing ahead. They were moving at the same speed as the buds falling, the song playing, and the breeze hitting my face.
I know “appreciate life and be present” is the most cliché advice on earth.
I’m not talking about gratitude journaling or mindfulness apps. I mean recognizing that most of the moments you’ll look back on with love are happening right now, and you’re missing them because your mind is already in next week.
Calling your mom.
Going to your favourite cafe.
Taking that walk near your old apartment.
Talking to your friend who passed away.
There’s always something.
The only difference is the pace of your thoughts. Looking back and wishing you’d appreciated that moment, or actually appreciate it while it’s happening.
Same moment, different pace.
When you slow down to match the speed of real life, you catch things you’d otherwise blow right past.
I’ll never live those exact 7 seconds again, but there will be others. Different buds, different song, same feeling.
Your job is to be moving slow enough to catch them when they arrive.
Look at a clock. One tick per second. That’s our lives.
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You can follow Warren on LinkedIn and read more of his writing at his Substack here
- Slow Your Thoughts Down to the Speed of Time - August 12, 2026
