How are you curating your quiet spaces?

“The faster and busier things get, the more we need to build thinking time into our schedule. And the noisier things get, the more we need to build quiet reflection spaces in which we can truly focus.”

Greg McKeown

How do you feel when setting aside time to think? Do you feel guilty for not being busy? Are you distracted by thoughts that you are ‘missing’ something on one of the many digital devices that easily enslave us?

How about a quiet space? DO you have a place or routine that allows you to think without undue distractions? What does quiet ‘sound’ like for you? Is it mental peace and quiet or something more? Do you require physical separation from the noisy world?

We each have 168 hours or 10,080 minutes to invest each week. How many of those minutes are you able to intentionally spend in that quiet place doing the deep thinking required to enable long-term success? Be honest with yourself; if the answer is zero, how are you going to change the answer?

How is the water of your mind?

“Your mind is like this water, my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear.”

Bil Keane

In today’s hyper distracted and overbusy world, it takes extreme discipline to allow oneself the time to think and reflect on what is essential.

Sometimes the presentation of a simile brings everything into focus and can hit like a ton of bricks. That was my experience today when choosing this quote. 

It brings to mind a book I read last year, one of my favorites for 2021, “Stillness is the Key” by Ryan Holiday. Without intentional and planned stillness, one can’t think clearly. I think I might need to reread this one soon. It is time to let the water settle…

Author Unknown

Can you find and enjoy the quiet?

“All of humanity’s problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

Blaise Pacal

In today’s world, it’s harder than ever to find a quiet room in this deafening life. The busier our lives get, the more we need a quiet space to rest and recharge. But when we get there, what will do we do with the time? Can we indeed just turn it all off and let the world go quiet?  

How will your actions speak today?

“Choose as a guide one whom you will admire more when you see him act than when you hear him speak.”

Seneca

If you couldn’t speak for a week, how could you communicate your character and core values through actions alone? What if that week turned into a month? A lifetime?  

If you want to challenge yourself, try this exercise every day for a week or a month. You will be amazed at what you learn.

  1. Grab a pen and paper.  Write down one word that is core to everything you believe about life and how you want to show up that day.  (You can, and should, do this many times, so don’t worry about finding the perfect word. Just go with the first one that comes to mind)
  2. Set a timer for five minutes and brainstorm three key behaviors you can actively demonstrate TODAY that bring your word to life through action, without any spoken communication.
  3. Pick ONE!  Circle it on our page. Commit it to memory and then commit to accomplishing that action TODAY.
  4. Then do it.  If it is something that you can demonstrate multiple times throughout the day, then do it over and over again.  
  5. At the end of your day, score yourself on your ability to put into action what you hold as foundationally right without using a single word. Use a simple zero to 10 scale and write your score on the paper from the morning.  
  6. Do the exercise over again the next day. It can be the identical word using the same behaviors or new ones. The key is to commit to demonstrating through action what you believe. No talking is allowed.  
  7. Track your scores over time to measure your progress and gauge your effectiveness at delivering what you believe through actions.  

The point is to let your actions do your talking for you and intentionally choose your behaviors based on your core principles and commit to bringing them to life through your efforts. If you can remove the barrier of speech, you will truly begin to communicate… 

Silence is a gift to yourself…

“Silence is a source of great strength.”

Lao Tzu

I don’t know about you but the world very rarely seems to be quiet anymore. Finding stillness and time to think and reflect seems to be so challenging with the constant availability of distractions and ways to “spend” your time. It isn’t just physical noise or busyness that gets in the way of quiet reflection. It can be the pervasive and ever-growing “digital noise” that clouds our minds and stops us from finding time to just sit alone with our thoughts.

I have been thinking about this topic a lot lately as I reflect on what I need to do to grow and improve. My favorite time of the day is the first hour when I take time to read my devotionals, pray, write this blog post, and enjoy a completely quiet and calm house. I love this quiet time yet I have not been good at all at finding ways to bake this into a normal routine beyond the first 45-60 minutes of each day. Once my day starts it is constant and complete engagement with the world until I crawl into bed night to rest and prepare to do it all again the next day.

I am very guilty of trying to add more into every single moment. It is finally (maybe I am just a slow learner) sinking in that I need to be much more intentional about being very purposeful with my time and build in space to think. To make this happen I have to be much more intentional about finding silence and not try to cram as much as possible into every second of the day. Silence is truly a gift to oneself, to give it you must design it into your life…

This magic moment…

“Be present. I would encourage you with all my heart just to be present. Be present and open to the moment that is unfolding before you. Because, ultimately, your life is made up of moments. So, don’t miss them by being lost in the past or anticipating the future.”

Jessica Lange

Full disclosure.  I really struggle with being able to follow the wisdom provided in this quote.  I don’t disagree with it at all, I just have a harding time actually following it.  As a person that is deeply wired to be goal driven and future oriented I miss being in the current moment far too often.  Being present is hard.  It is easier to live in the future or get lost while revisiting the past. 

20 years ago someone told me that if I “spent all my effort focused on the goal I would miss out on the learning and joy that comes from the journey itself.”  This is so very true, and yet still so hard to do.  But to be present is where the future is created.  The moments we are in today are creating the future we want to have.  The moments can be magic…

 

A gift for yourself…

“Solitude is where I place my chaos to rest and awaken my inner peace.”

Nikki Rowe

I find that it is harder and harder to find a place of quiet and peace in today’s world.  We are digitally connected almost 100% of the time.  To achieve real quiet outside of the chaos requires making a conscious decision to give yourself the gift of solitude and peace. For me it means quiet time with a good book or perhaps a long bike ride or a run.  

I am reminded of the verse in Matthew that frames what I look for when taking some time of solitude: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

How often do you actively seek to give yourself this gift?

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dusty

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