“Nothing is more useful than silence.” – Menander
I have learned that in times of confusion, I tend to ask everyone I know for their insight. What do YOU think I should do? What are YOUR thoughts on this? What would YOU do if you were me?
I can throw down a lot of great questions, but I know, deep down, that I’m asking the wrong people.
I need to be asking the silence.
We tend to ask others the questions that we are too afraid to ask ourselves. If you just stop for a minute and listen to your gut, you will get most of the answers. You won’t necessarily get the answers you want, but you will get some answers.
Another way to look at it is to flip a coin. If you have a big decision to make, flip a coin. In the seconds that the coin is in the air, your mind will tell you what you are hoping for. Follow that instinct.
When I was a kid, I would ask my mom every year what she wanted for Mother’s Day. Every year it was the same answer: peace and quiet.
As a kid, that sounded ridiculous. As an adult, I have learned the importance of quiet.
I get it now.
Silence can be huge. It can be scary. It can be peaceful. It can be lonely. It can be deafening.
And it can be life changing.
When you find yourself being overwhelmed by noise and confusion, seek out silence. Find 10 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour. Climb inside of it. Wrap it around you like a shawl. Get comfortable with it.
Within the bigness of silence, you can listen to the smallness in your heart.
Ask the silence. Then listen for the answers.
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