It is a beautiful Sunday morning, and I am sitting in one of my favorite places, on the rocky beach where I live in the Pacific Northwest. I am here on my plastic Adirondack chair, with just enough space for my coffee mug on the armrest.
It is so quiet this morning. There is not a soul on the beach. Other than the occasional dog barking in the distance, all I can hear are the seagulls overhead and the sound of the waves gently lapping on the shore. It is truly quiet here.
One of the reasons I appreciate it so much is it is hard to find silence in today’s world.
Your life is loud, mine is too. The world today is noisy, and it is normal to rush from activity to activity without taking time to stop. With full schedules, the responsibilities of work and home, and the constant distractions coming your way, your life can be too loud to a point where you can’t hear anything anymore. It causes stress, frustration, and unhappiness.
This is not a new problem. Back in 1660, Blaise Pascal wrote: “I have often said that the sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room.”
How to Turn Down the Volume
The only way to truly find peace in a chaotic world is when you welcome stillness. You need to be intentional about turning down the volume around you. How do you do this? You commit to quiet time, and to a quiet place where you can have uninterrupted silence to rest and renew.
When you visualize a place that you can be quiet and still, where is that?
Mark Batterson, the best-selling author of Whisper, calls it a whispering spot. He says, “When our lives get loud, with noise filling every frequency, we lose our sense of being. We run the risk of turning into human doings rather than human beings. And when our schedules get busy, we lose our sense of balance, which is a function of the inner ear.”
Intentionally Quiet Your Life
I have been intentional about bringing quiet to my life and you can too. It starts with finding a quiet place where you can be still and refresh your mind. This should be a place that is special to you, where you will want to spend regular time. Here is how to get started:
- Find your quiet place. It starts with finding a place where you can have stillness. A place you can find clarity. A place where you can shut out all the outside and inside noise and find peace again. It does not matter where it is – the point is finding a spot that you like to go where you can spend time undisturbed.
- Make your quiet place special. When we moved into our new home, I laid claim to a special sitting area in our bedroom. I picked out a comfy chair and cozy blanket, and it is a place I look forward to going. Whether it is a corner in your bedroom, or a basement “man-cave” make it a place you want to be.
- Commit time to be quiet. This is the hardest part and only you can do it. You must commit to practicing quiet time on a regular, consistent basis. Realize this time is critical to your life and well-being. Carve out time each day for quiet. Even for a few minutes a day it will make a difference.