Are You Addicted to Speed? What is your “Pace Quotient?”

1. You are behind a driver who has not noticed that the light has turned green.

How do you respond?

1. Give the person a moment to notice the light has changed.
2. Blow your horn immediately.
3. Blow your horn and express your irritation verbally.

2. You are in a slow-moving grocery line with time to spare. How are you most likely to do?

1. Engage in a conversation with someone else.
2. Look repeatedly at the person at the register to see how fast things are going.
3. Become irritated.

3. In conversing with others, how often do you interrupt them in mid-sentence?

1. Not very often.
2. Some of the time.
3. Very often.

4. How much time during the day do you devote to prayer, pondering, mediation, and/or just taking it easy?

1. At least an hour.
2. At least half an hour.
3. Less than half an hour.

5. Someone/thing has interrupted your planned activity.

Select the word that best describes your feeling.

1. Interested.
2. Disturbed.
3. Aggravated.

6. Which word best characterizes your mood at the beginning of an average day.

Select the word that best describes your feeling.

1. Excited.
2. Burdened.
3. Depressed.

7. Which word best characterizes your mood at the end of an average day.

Select the word that best describes your feeling.

1. Contented.
2. Fatigued.
3. Stressed.

8. When you see a rainbow, how long does it hold your attention.

1. Many minutes.
2. Several seconds.
3. Just a second.

9. When was the last time you paid serious attention to a child.

1. Today.
2. Within the past few days.
3. I can’t remember.

10. How often do you feel joy in your work?

1. Frequently.
2. Often enough.
3. Are you kidding?

11. How often do you hurry one activity to get to the next activity.

1. Not often.
2. Regularly.
3. All the time.

12. How often do you move fast when there is no reason to?

1. Never.
2. Sometimes.
3. I confess, I have rushed through this test.

A. Review your responses.

B. Which responses do you wish were different?

C. Think of other questions that you will help you gauge your present living speed.

D. Note the behaviors identified in each question. Develop one or two modifications in your behavior that will contribute to your being able to check off (a) more responses the next time you take the test, a month or two from now.

Questionnaire taken from "Addicted to Hurry: Spiritual Strategies for Slowing Down," byKirk Byron Jones (2003, Judson Press, Valley Forge, PA)