Don’t Start Until You Stop!

So much to do. So little time. 

The work on my homestead is never done and I can fall into believing that if I just get to work, do something, I will feel better. Get somewhere.

Or a problem pops up unexpectedly. And I want to rush into a solution.

Of course, if there is a real emergency, it’s time to fly into action and secure the situation.

However. 

Whether I am facing a stressful event or a too long to-do list, the best thing I can do is… 

STOP.

Take a long, deep breath. Or two. Or ten. 

To avoid this dashing about, I have found this practice to be very helpful.

First thing in the morning, I grab a cup of coffee or tea, a pen and a pad of paper and I sit outdoors, if possible, or by a window. I sit quietly, sip and wait. 

If it is difficult to be still, I just notice that. And go back to breathing, sipping, waiting. I thank the thoughts for their input, set them aside for just a little while. And I go back to waiting for stillness which is always there just below the thinking, as surely as a pond is quiet below the wind-rippled surface.

With practice, the mind quiets naturally. The stillness may be all that comes. If an inspiration or a fresh idea or approach arises. I jot these things down. 

Over time, as I have practiced this stillness for as little as 5 minutes up to an hour a day, my tendency to go at a “rip and tear” has been traded in for an energized productivity. I get more done. I worry less. I notice more. I feel better.

And when things take a hard turn down a bumpy road, I notice how a greater patience and resilience come to my aid from the foundation I have laid in the stillness of the early morning. 

Why not give it a try? 

Don’t have time? 5 minutes. Just give it a try. Drop a line and tell us how it goes.