Stillness Is Your Secret Weapon

Take a Deep Breath, Your Ideas Will Unfold in Perfect Timing

You know the feeling. You've struggled to accomplish something: more money, a promotion, a contract, a romantic partner, weight loss. Taking action emboldens you, so you try new things. You work your tail off. You pull your hair out trying to figure out why all your steps keep failing. You're doing all the things you think you're supposed to do, so why isn't it working?

Motivations gurus preach working harder, setting loftier goals, and toughening up your willpower.

Take a deep breath. To make progress, you sometimes have to do the exact opposite of what your inner chatter is urging you to do. It feels counter intuitive, but racing around doing so many things to reach your dreams can be just the thing that's pulling you off track.

The best thing you can do when you feel stuck or uncertain about the next step is to take your foot off the gas. It's like getting your car stuck in the snow. If you keep your gas pedal on the floor, you just spin your wheels and that gets you even more stuck. Instead, you finess it. Just a little gas, then you back off. Then a little gas, then you back off. You let the car get unstuck, you don't force it.

Get quiet with the intention of doing absolutely nothing. That's like taking your foot off the gas pedal.

Getting still opens the doors, so the answers can come through.

Maybe the answer is to take a specific step. Maybe the answer is a reassurance to stick with what you're doing. Maybe the answer is to be patient and wait for further instruction. Maybe it sounds like a void and no answer appears. That's okay too.

Use stillness to inspire action.

I’m forever amazed by this principle. It's the opposite of what you would think, right? It doesn't sound sexy or powerful, but it's your secret weapon to making progress.

When I feel like I'm spinning my wheels, I give myself a time out. I stop doing what I'm doing. I stop trying to make things happen. I turn my focus to another project, or if necessary, I walk away from my projects to do something completely unrelated.

This isn’t to say I just sit around and wait for things to magically appear. Anyone who spends a day with me knows that’s not the case. Instead, I make time for quiet reflection every day. The time you spend in quiet reflection is most valuable, becuase it's laying a strong foundation for your success.

Amped up chatter in your head. Feeling like you need to control things. Tension in your body. These are all signs telling you you need to step back and allow things to unfold.

“Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress.” -Mary Baker Eddy

You see, the answers are already there. You don’t have to come up with them. You don’t have to force them.

The answers exist, and they’re waiting for you to allow them to unfold. They're waiting for you to stop your frantic worrying and planning. They're waiting for you to take a seat and listen.

Things in the spiritual world work opposite of what you believe in this material world. Sometimes you have to do what you least expect to get the results you want. So, instead of doing, doing, doing, get quiet and listen. If you don’t get an immediate answer, that’s okay. The answers will appear. They always do.

Here are a few things I do when I’m not sure of my next direction.

1. I take a walk. While I'm walking, instead of thinking about how stuck I feel, I take in the nature around me. The idea is to give my brain a reset. It's like rebooting your computer.
2. I take a long shower. A long hot shower eases tension and lets those thoughts settle.
3. I work on my yard. Using your hands has a calming effect on the nervous system. It helps me get out of my head.
4. I go for a bicycle ride. Like walking, when I ride my bike, I take in the views and sensations around me. I let the sense of speed invigorate me.
5. I sit quietly and meditate. Meditation is listening. My brain stops talking, so I can hear.

The point is, I let it go.

What do you do when someone keeps nagging you or tries to cling to you? If you're like me, you move in the opposite direction.

Your ideas work the same way. Relentlessly pursue them and they’ll keep hiding.

Instead of nagging them and chasing them down, try letting the answers come to you. It’s an exercise in trust, but you’ll have more inspiration, more personal peace, less anxiety, and more creativity.

The answers want to show up for you. The Universe wants to help you. Take a deep breath, your ideas will unfold in perfect timing.