Practice Silence

There’s something I value now in my life more than I ever did in the past – it is silence. It is in those silent moments when my mind is clear, I feel more in tune with nature and God, I feel peace, and typically I will have a new idea or find inspiration. In a world that tells us we always need to be connected and ‘doing’ ‘doing’ ‘doing’ and ‘talking’ ‘talking’ talking’, here are few ways to find silence in your daily life:

Stop Talking – We live in a world that makes silence uncomfortable. Sometimes we find ourselves talking just to talk. I know I have had moments when I am just blabbing away and even think to myself, “Why am I still talking, please stop now…or now…or now.” We all know people who just can’t seem to stop talking, those that no one can get a word in edge wise, who go on and on and on to the point you wonder if they are ever going to take a breath. Think about those instances when someone feels the need to talk so much and so loudly, but never really says anything at all. The easiest way to find silence is stop talking and resist that urge to fill the silence when it happens.

Choose Your Words Wisely – Talk with a purpose, accomplish something good with your words. When you do speak say something that inspires, something that makes people laugh, something that shows wisdom, something that shows love.

Listen – We are all guilty of having conversations in which we are ‘halfway listening’ meaning we take in the overall topic our friend or coworker may be saying all the while thinking about what we want to say next and when can we jump in. This is another opportunity where we can practice silence and not just being silent with our mouths, but actually listen to the conversation happening at that moment, not tuning the other person out and thinking, “What should I say next?”

Don’t React – Silence can be an incredible gift in the midst of conflict. Whether you are arguing with your spouse or a coworker decides to practice ‘random acts of rudeness’ with you, there is nothing that says, other than your ‘ego’, that you have to react. Silence allows you to hear what the other person is saying and reflect on what is really intended and what is really important in the situation.

Turn Off The Screens –I notice during any period of time I spend on Facebook or Twitter longer than 1 minute makes my brain feel like scrambled eggs. Your mouth may be quiet, the room you are in may be quiet, but if there is a screen on your mind is not quiet. As much as our screens may improve our lives, they also can be unhealthy distractions that have to be kept in check. If you feel like you ‘can’t turn it off’, it is time to turn it off. The gift of silence should be more important than checking Facebook.

Be Outside – One of the greatest joys in my life is gardening. For me it is a soulful connection to the earth and it never ceases to amaze me when I see something I have planted grow into a vegetable or flower. When my hands are in the dirt I am silent, my mind is clear, and my thoughts aren’t on ‘what’s next’ but on those little seeds I am planting in the ground. Maybe gardening isn’t your thing, maybe you love to hike or fish or sail or play golf, find something that takes you outside that you can enjoy by yourself. Something where you can be more in tune with nature, the trees, the animals, the water. When we observe nature, we realize just how insignificant we are and how beautiful it is to be a part of this ecosystem.

Breathe – When we concentrate on breathing in and breathing out deeply, instead of what are we going to say next or what do we need to be thinking about, we can truly clear our minds. It is when we are able to simply breathe in and out that we begin to hear our inner voice, our heart, our spirit.

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