Positive Thought Project

Stillness –  the absence of movement or sound.

As a young person, stillness didn’t factor in my life.  I often got impatient with what life was bringing. Hurry up! Let’s get to the next stage already. I couldn’t wait to have new experiences and see new things. Being impatient is one of the shortfalls of youth.  There are patterns in life, and each has its purpose; as a young person, I didn’t comprehend or appreciate the value each stage brings.  Life presents us

With many challenging circumstances, thrills, accomplishments, and disappointments.  It is essential to find moments of mindful introspection, a relaxing lull in life with all the excitement.  Taking advantage of the down moments begins with paying attention to our thoughts, words, and actions.  Every day we have a chance to enjoy the stillness around us and grow from the simple act of introspection.  Contemplating how far we have come, where we are at right now, and the destination we would like to reach in the future.

Quiet Time

A quiet period is a time life gives you a space to look around and take a breath or two.

Quiet periods come in life to give you the space to look around, take a breath or two, and see how you are doing. Often there is a lull period after any big moment, positive or negative,  where a person needs a chance to gather themselves before moving toward the next goal, adventure, challenge, or life experience.

Unfortunately, in our society, downtime is not appreciated or valued.  It is looked upon as wasted time or an unwanted time of emptiness. A time that you could spend doing something. We work to fill all of our moments with mindless entertainment. Games, TV, movies, or just music in the background all engage our minds and stop us from thinking about anything of substance. What are we afraid of after all?

Wisdom in Silence

We are afraid of the silence because if we think about our lives, we might see the places we are falling short.  There is a wisdom in that silence we might catch if we find a quiet moment.  Your thoughts may lead to a change in behavior and a greater appreciation for the people and things already in life. So often, we are always looking for that job or that relationship that will make us happy. We never realize that we are capable of being happy right now.  That is the gold one can find in the stillness.

Reflection

Reflection is one of the most valuable things that I have taken from the lull periods of my life.  Whenever there is an ending of any kind, there will be a calm period. Sunshine after rain, tranquility after turmoil, seems to be the gift of life. It may be only for a moment, or it may be longer, but the time should be used to evaluate and appreciate the situation you have just experienced, who you are, and the value it has brought to life. Then let it go, taking the lessons with you, into the gift of the stillness and out into the world beyond the learning.

Processing traumatic, emotional events is not always easy. The value of experience can’t be seen through pain, fear, and doubt.  The dots can only be connected, looking backward.  We choose to embrace things or ignore them, but they are still there. It is in the stillness that we can choose our path.  We need to learn specific life lessons before moving on to something else, more complex or advanced. The silence allows us to evaluate a situation you have just gone through and the feelings that have arisen in you, and how it has affected your mind and heart.  That is the gift that stillness can give you a moment to understand, learn, evaluate, process, and hopefully move forward with a complete toolbox.

Questions Lead to Answers

Reflection is a time that I have learned to cherish. To look at even bad situations which are not enjoyable to find that lesson. It has always been there, and if you don’t learn it now, it will present itself again, later.  Before long, you will be on to the next adventure of life, and there won’t be time to look back appropriately and to find the answers.  When the calming times present themselves to you, take advantage and look for the meaning of the experience, ask the questions; What did I learn? How Was this valuable? What am I not seeing yet? Seek the motive in the situation, understand the movement of life around you, learn what you need to know to be the best version of yourself.

There is a lesson to learn about the relationship, the job, the trip, the climb, the project, the graduation, the birth, the death …………  In a moment of quiet, there are the answers you are seeking. They are waiting in the ripples of a lake or underneath the rocks of a river, or in the quiet of a moment. Take that moment and look for them. They provide beauty to all of life that most people miss because they are too busy avoiding thought to look inside the stillness and understand the message that is living there specifically for you to hear.

Life is full of patterns, of “highs” and “lows” that are only different moments of mental intensity that allow for learning or understanding.  Many live their entire lives with questions and never take the time to seek answers. Experience makes a deal with us that there is always a reason behind it all.  The stillness provides time for reflection and contemplation; we can find solutions if we recognize the lull’s value and appreciate the silence and the answers it gives. It all starts with how you look at your thoughts, words, and actions. Be still today, know what you have experienced, see where you are, and plan for going.

“Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let your awareness rest upon it. How still they are, how deeply rooted in Being. Allow nature to teach you stillness.” Eckhart Tolle

“Nothing in all creation is so like God as stillness.”~Meister Eckhart