We don’t become by doing.
We become by being.
I used to live my life by my calendar, thinking the more productive I was, the more successful and peaceful I would become.
Simply put, I thought all this doing would ultimately forge my becoming.
I didn’t know any better. I was born into a family with a long line of highly driven individuals with deep intention, high stubbornness, and a work ethic to match. My family name even had a reputation for years — the Wildhaber work ethic. (Who am I kidding? The nickname is still alive today!) Yet when we make all our doing the compass point for our being, we miss an essential piece of our evolution.
THE PRACTICE OF BEING AWAKENS US TO TAKING COURAGEOUS ACTION FROM A TRULY CONSCIOUS PLACE.
We can work, work, work and never really enter into the work we are doing. Does this ever happen to you? We can complete a multitude of things but without a deliberate pause to name and prioritize what is most essential from an intuitively conscious place, we reach the end of our day feeling like we didn’t accomplish anything. This feeling happens frequently in our culture forged from the cyclical, productive nature of the Industrial Revolution yet this feeling doesn’t show up because we didn’t do anything that day.
THIS FEELING EMERGES WHEN WE ARE NOT CONSCIOUS TO WHAT WE ARE DOING.
This week, practice the power of a pause.
Be present. Pause. Be willing to get to know yourself.
In the quiet of your pause, when all the priorities come rushing into your mind, allow yourself to name what is most essential each day for your highest good.
Allow the noise to wait and choose conscious, courageous action.
A pause will powerfully propel us forward when we embed it in our practice.
I’m with you in this practice, friend.
Let me know what you learn in the quiet space of pause in the comments below. I’d love to hear about your experience!