From the Place of Silence
There are many resources available out there that talk about “The Power of…” something or other. “The Power of Now,” “The Power of One,” “The Power of Less,” “The Power of Us.” Heck, one of my own company’s is called “The Power of Two.” And I don’t want to take away the power of anything in this blog. Instead, what I want to do is point to something that is often overlooked when it comes to the discussion of what is and isn’t powerful. And that’s silence.
Stop. Take a moment and just stop. Whatever you’re doing, whoever you’re talking to, whatever you’re thinking about, just stop. Turn off any and all sound-making gadgets, as much as you can. Radio, phone, television. Now, close your eyes and notice. Feel the silence that surrounds you. Can you feel it? Feel the strength of it? The power within it? The longer you stay with it, the more you’ll feel it. And sometimes that can be a bit uncomfortable. Silence is powerful for sure.
I bring this up today because I notice that many leaders overlook — or completely forget — the power of silence. How often do you feel like you’ve got to be talking, reading, typing, interacting with information in some way, shape or form? I’m willing to bet that non-silence is your primary way of being. It’s not surprising. It’s sort of the way of today’s world. And yet, what I know for sure is that so often what we seek — whether it’s answers, inspiration, peace, connection, grounding, whatever — is found in the silence.
As a leader, I assert that it behooves you to get comfortable with silence. Leadership is about inspiring change, growth and evolution, and these are most powerfully accessed in silent moments. Sometimes sound is necessary, for sure. And silence can be your greatest resource as a leader. Stumped by a question? Look to the silence. Feeling overwhelmed? Get grounded in the silence. Seeking inspiration? You’ll find it in the silence.
Bottom-line: silence has become a bit of a stranger to most people in our very fast-paced, gadget-inundated world. Get re-acquainted with silence and watch how your leadership transforms for the better. Silence is an effective leaders most powerful resource..
Balancing Movement and Stillness
The last few days I’ve been sitting with what appear to be opposing notions — the notion of movement, and that of stillness. You see, what I’m currently aware of is that I am heading towards a particular objective. Actually, who am I kidding — I’m heading towards several objectives, but they’re all on the same path. As each objective is met, another one is waiting further along. But that is not the point.
The point, instead, is that even as I head toward these objectives, no matter how clear I might be about what I want out of life, there are moments where the fog settles in and I can’t see where it is I’m headed. In these moments, I can choose to move forward, trusting my internal compass, or I can choose to be still for a bit, and wait for the fog to burn off.
My sense is that there are merits to both. In the movie Finding Nemo, when Dori forgets where she is and where she’s heading, her motto is to “keep on swimming, keep on swimming…” — and this approach can absolutely serve. It keeps momentum going, and gets you closer to your ultimate goal in some small way. That being said, sometimes you just have to stop and get your bearings. Sometimes, stopping and allowing the fog to lift shows you a whole new perspective on the path you’ve chosen. This doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily choose another path; it does however afford you the opportunity to come at your path from another angle, so to speak.
I guess what I’m realizing is this: there can be a real tendency to just forge ahead with a pig-headed determination when you’ve got a specific objective in mind. Sometimes, however, even as you plow ahead, the air gets murky, your vision gets impaired, and plowing ahead may actually be more of an act of danger than stick-to-it-iveness. In those moments, finding a place of stillness, and allowing things to settle may ultimately move you further along your path than would otherwise be possible. In other words, being still isn’t a bad thing. You’ve just got to find the right balance between forward movement and stillness. That’s what actually allows you to achieve your goal with panache.
The Answers are in The Stillness
This is what I’m being reminded of at this point in my life. The idea of stillness is not a new idea, by any stretch of the imagination. And yet, I feel like I’m being called to remember — and in turn to remind those around me — that sometimes, the answers you seek, the completion you long for, the solutions that seem so elusive are in fact present…in the stillness.
You see, one of the things that it’s so easy to give in to is the “busy-ness” of the world around you. Things are moving at lightening speed and, in fact, movement seems to be the comfort-zone that our world knows these days. The idea of sitting still and just settling into the space of stillness appears to be a foreign notion, a radical concept. And yet, there is magic that happens in the space of stillness that simply can’t happen in the space of continual movement.
Am I saying that movement shouldn’t happen? No, definitely not. What I am saying, however, based on my recent noticings and rememberings is that there really is merit in allowing yourself to buffer the constant movement of your life with a period or two of complete stillness. Let your body be still; let your brain be still; let the world around you come to stillness and notice what shows up in that space. There really is a purity and serenity that simply cannot be found anywhere else. And in this pure, serene, magical experience lie the answers you seek, more often than not.
What I know for sure is this: just because the world is a busy place does not mean that you have to deprive yourself of the gift of stillness. In fact, when you deny the stillness, you also deny the answers you’re looking for. If there’s a problem your grappling with, stop grappling and seek the place of stillness — the solution lies in that space.