bcg blog

Quiet Time

Have you noticed how many people just walk around with earbuds, or airpods, in their ears? If you haven’t, now you will. It’s a lot - a whole lot. What are they listening to all the time? Or, are they just in case the most important phone call in the world comes in?

The next time you’re at the grocery store take a look at the people in line. If they are not actively checking out, and even sometimes when they are, ninety percent of them will be staring at their phones. What are they looking at, scrolling through?

The percentage is nearly the same for the people that wake-up and immediately check their phone for notifications and emails. Don’t we think that if it was that important, they would’ve just called?

It’s all noise.
And, I think we are running to the noise to avoid the silence. 

Why Should We Care?
That silence we are avoiding is the only place to find our true self. 
And, it’s only through our true self that we can have the impact on the world we were meant to have.

Our true self is there. For most of us it’s just hidden. Our true self is kind of like a dusty mirror that needs to be wiped off and cleaned a little bit. The problem is, in today’s world, the dust doesn’t stop raining down. The dust shows up as music, phones, books, podcasts, work obligations, family responsibilities, personal challenges, and the list goes on and on.

It’s not that any of it is bad, but it is all potential noise. 
Noise is something we put up with, we endure. It doesn’t really move us forward or help those around us. It doesn’t provide impact or even reflect who we are or what we believe. Noise feeds our desire to consume rather than create, to vegetate rather than initiate.

If we are not careful, our days passively consuming will become weeks. The weeks will become months and the months will become years. Putting an end to this consumption is the key to unlocking our true self.

One of the first steps to moving away from a mindset of consumption is to step into silence. Silence offers the space for self-understanding and creation. With enough of it we will stop mimicking and begin being.

The world throws too much dust our way to sift through it without intentional time to discover what we really think, what we really believe, and who we truly are. That time must be quiet.

Without silence, we stand no chance.

REAL TALK - Action Steps
Finding time to create silence is becoming harder and harder. It seems the world is on a quest to eliminate it all together. It does remain our choice, however. Here are a few ideas to help you choose a quiet time that works for you.

• Driving 
  
  • I’m not suggesting you abandon your music or podcast routine, but I am suggesting that silence may be the more beneficial option. Rather than viewing solo commutes as wasted time, begin looking at them as opportunities to hear yourself think. Wonder, question, and dig into the whys behind your choices and beliefs.
    

• Morning
  
  • Especially for those early risers among us, the morning is a great part of the day for some quiet time. There are fewer distractions because the day is new and doesn’t offer nearly as many diversions yet. Early in the morning you usually still have the ability to dictate the day rather than reacting to it. Not to mention, morning quiet time is the perfect fuel for an intentionally impactful day. 
    

• Weekly
  
  • If finding a time daily doesn’t work for you, the next best approach is to schedule a time weekly on your calendar to sit with your thoughts. Maybe Saturday or Sunday morning, maybe Sunday evenings work best for you. Whatever you decide, commit thirty minutes to better understand yourself each week.
    

To serve others we must first serve ourselves by making sure we are bringing the best version of ourselves to the table. This doesn’t happen by chance. Finding regular quiet time is the first step on the path to the best version of yourself. Without it, we are merely drifting, or worse yet, copying the lives of others.

For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. 
We would love to know how we could help!

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