Like a kid riding a bike, a teenager playing basketball or someone playing golf, one can get good at most activities with practice. Mindfulness practices help build the skills for me to learn how to listen to these empty spaces. How to pay attention to the thoughts that unconsciously fill my mind, and the invaluable information that arises continuously throughout my day.
There is another path. Instead of paying attention to these empty spaces, I could instead choose escapism to try and ignore them. Netflix, Instagram, alcohol, drugs, excessive eating and constant consumption are ways to suppress the information that is filling these empty spaces. In doing so, I lose out on the power of awareness and all of its benefits.
A few weeks ago, I took a self-declared Wellness Week, which I have also asked everyone on my team to do this summer. During my Wellness Week, I turned off my phone completely and went screen-free for seven days. I also did not read the news or consume any media. I kept my reading of books limited to a few personal favourites, that I have already read countless times before.
In a sense, this week was an experiment to create even more empty spaces. I created the conditions that encouraged me to become more intimate with the information sitting in my empty spaces. My primary purpose for this time was to learn to sit in these empty spaces and soak it all in. The experience was unique, meditative and profound.
I found myself feeling inspired with new ideas for our world, for my business and the many projects I continue to invest in. I also noticed insecurities and anxieties arise, about themes in my life that I had not paid much attention to previously but could now see how they ripple into many facets of my life. It takes strength to sit with the discomfort that can arise in the empty spaces.