Growing up, I was a timid girl and always avoided situations that would force me to interact with people. I kept to myself most of the time and got branded many names that demoralized me. I wished I could change but later I came to the realization that being reserved had benefits that I could leverage. As a young adult in the University, however, I had the freedom to do anything and it came with a slight twist of the personality I had as a child. It handed me different memories. Mostly, I sought life and soul from other people more than I did from myself. Being in the company of self most of the time, the sound of silence was too loud. This had started affecting me as a person. There were opportunities that I missed and dreams that were delayed. See this experience got me thinking of how important it is to have a silent mind when everything else is a life of the party.
Carl Jung and Myers Briggs developers identified that an individual possesses both extroversion and introversion but in different quantities such that one will be dominant to the other. An introvert is a person who is concerned with their inner thoughts while an extrovert is concerned more with the external reality. I identify more as an introvert than an extrovert. One advantage that introverts have is that since they tend to observe and focus inwards a lot, they reflect more and have a deeper understanding of various aspects of life. It is a busy world, full of hype, interactions, and information. The advantages are enormous but the disadvantages are severe. Being born in a world that is a scrapbook and one that someone can easily feel lost, I observed three aspects of silence that I needed to employ to keep my lenses clear.
1. Reflection
Back then when I was still awed by the smartphone technology, I spent a lot of time navigating the web, reading almost everything I came across. My friends would comment that I spent a lot of time using my phone. Then I thought to myself, if I would use some of the time spent on my phone focusing on my mindset, on my vision, and on my journey, I would be far than where I am. Many times we get caught up in busy schedules or in tech gadgets that we have no time to contemplate about ourselves and how we are going about life. Life can be a little much for us and sometimes we face depression as we try to figure out the meaning of life. It is of importance that we take time and reflect on ourselves and reach out to others who could have gotten stuck in the rat race of life. Remind them to take numerous breaks to meditate and rejuvenate. Think of the numerous benefits you can achieve by taking time to reflect. You would be more self-aware, correct where you are going wrong and raise self esteem that comes along with it.
2. Take your Time to do Things
I know pressure can be a great motivation for accomplishing a task but it is not always a healthy thing. Just imagine how chaotic it can be when you have a project to deliver and you have a short stretch to complete it. You can even forego some basic needs for example, enough sleep or a healthy meal so you can deliver the project on time. Doing things in ample time removes the stress that comes along with doing things in a short period of time. I have also observed that taking your time to execute something let’s say cooking, taking a shower or any other activity, has a calm energy. This relaxes your mind and helps in executing a duty well since your concentration is sharp. In the process, it increases your well being. Taking time to perform a task effectively will require you to prioritize things so that you cannot run late in executing something which will amount to pressure.
3. Listen to What Life is Saying
They say you are the captain of your ship. Your destiny is in your control. With those words and more of such kind, sets us on fire to pursue our wild dreams. Every one of us has an idea of how we wish our reality to turn out and so we make plans of what we are going to do with our lives. It is a no brainer that the one who fails to plan, plans to fail whether or not they are aware. However, it is important to know that as much as we make ideal plans there is always going to be a reality that will be in harmony with our plans or not. If we are constantly fighting our reality or frown at how things turn out then we are only filling our lives with psychological strain for nothing. Truth is we cannot be in control of everything. Some goals are not going to happen as you planned and paths may change. You will need to be open minded, be silent and listen to what life is trying to tell you. You will need to adapt to the turn of events and carry on with life with a brave heart.
4. Really get Rid of Physical and Psychological Clutter
Whether it is in your house or work place, having items you don’t need first increases the clutter. Get rid of things you don’t longer use or need. Avoid buying things that you do not really need. If you are operating your life on a messy space, you will likely get distracted. This in turn increases stress levels and decreases productivity and your well-being. Remember the world outside is a holy mess and what human beings really need is a sanctuary. A place to come home to. For some it is a home, friends or family. However, your mind and heart are the fountain of everything that you do. Therefore, you will need to clear out anything that affects the mind negatively or acts as a distraction. It can be your close friends, family, colleagues, things that you watch and read or even comparing yourself to other people. The real comparison is looking at who you are today and who you were yesterday. Then work to be a better human with every new day.
You Are In Purpose
There is a quote I once read and it was something that I relate to, to date. “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things that don’t really matter.” This quote always reminds me to keep reflecting on my life and on life in general. To keep searching for clarity and importantly to guard my heart for everything I do comes from it. I pray that you experience the power of silencing your mind and your life from the distractions that life can bring and that you accomplish things that you are proud of. To Health!