How are you being today?

Dear reader,

How are you doing today? More importantly, how are you BEING today?

Isn’t it funny that we don’t ask that second question?

Our society measures success in hours spent and dollars earned. It’s all about the activities, and the more you can squeeze into a day, the better. 

We over value BUSY-NESS and undervalue the importance of simply BEING.

I was listening to a podcast today, and David Tenant was being interviewed. He and the host were talking about how important it is to stay connected with our inner eight-year old. David said he thought it must be easier to do as an actor because they spend all day playing make believe and using their imaginations. Meanwhile, the rest of adults have to make time to connect to our creativity around work and all the busy-ness of life.

I think maybe our creativity thrives in the quiet and stillness.

It’s in those moments when I’m willing to sit under the oak trees and listen to the breeze in the leaves and the animals scurrying around the branches.

It’s in the space between breaths as I sit and meditate - even for three minutes.

It’s in the stillness after a prayer, 

In the moment a pencil hovers over a blank page.

And I know how HARD it is to make room for quiet and stillness and reflection. I struggle with it - and so do my clients.

Almost every time someone tells me that they don’t feel productive enough, they are working non-stop with no breaks in their day. They go from parenting to work and back to parenting without pausing to give themselves any time. Work days are back-to-back clients or meetings without even 10 minutes to grab food or water. They fall into bed EXHAUSTED and wonder why they didn’t get their entire list done.

And the push-back I get when I ask them to take breaks is often HUGE.

But when we finally work through the resistance, something beautiful happens - every time:

They start to feel more productive. They get more done during the work parts of the day. They feel better, more relaxed, more focused. They have FUN.

So let me go back to the top of this ramble - how are you being?

Are you cultivating creativity? Finding time for stillness? Taking moments to just STOP?

What do you do to give yourself space to BE? I’d love it if you’d share the answer in the comments.

And if this is something you struggle with, reach out. I’d be happy to help you BE more.