Neil Young sang, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” I say it’s better to burn slow and see your grandkids. –Austin Kleon
I’ve heard people say that they’d “rather burn out than rust out.” And although I understand the sentiment behind the phrase, there can be a real danger in trying to go too fast for too long.
Life is not a sprint. Yes, it goes quick, but for most of us, there are still years and years yet to be lived. And so it’s important to pace ourselves—to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves physically, spiritually, intellectually, relationally—so that we can live well throughout the entire course of our lives. This doesn’t mean we hold back from what we’re doing today and not give ourselves fully to the task at hand—part of living well is learning to live in the moment. But it does entail setting boundaries so that we have time to rest and to invest in ourselves and those around us.
There’s likely a long road ahead, so it’s imperative that we pace ourselves as we move ahead. Just like going too fast too early can spell trouble for the long-distance runner, so failing to pace ourselves in life just raises the odds that we’ll pay the consequences down the road. Better to be a slow-burning coal that provides heat and light for a long, long time, than to be a flash in the pan that soon disappears and fails to do either.