The Value of Quiet Time

I am writing the draft of my fourth blog entry as I sit at what has become, over the past year, my sacred Quiet Space. While it is anything but quiet on this sunny, summer Saturday at Topsail Beach, I can always find stillness as I go within for inspiration.

You see, none of these blog topics have come any other way. They all result from quiet contemplation. I guess it would be easy enough to make a list of all the Lessons Learned from my father, but there have been so many! How do I choose? As with most BIG questions I face these days, my answers come when I take the time to GO WITHIN. What this looks like on the surface is simple Quiet Time.

It may show up like it did this morning: "Mommy needs 30 minutes to herself." I close the bedroom door and crank up a meditation CD. Or maybe it's a quick trip to the beach, chai latte in hand, to sit in my Quiet Space for 15 minutes before picking up the kids after school. Sometimes, it's a full-blown Day of Quiet in the park, where I sit under a tree, pen in hand, book on lap, and do my thing with no schedule and no outcome in mind.

Yes, I said it: No schedule and no outcome in mind. Wow! I just became aware of the tremendous progress I have made in the "peace" arena of my life. My motivational work is grounded on the principle of embracing your potential at home, at work, at play and at peace. For those who have known me over the years, this concept of Quiet Time (i.e., "at peace") has taken me the longest to grasp.

I have always been a "doer". Always busy. Lots to do. A to-do list in every room. Many self-imposed deadlines to accompany my many goals. The idea of stopping to 'smell the roses' never occurred to me much until I realized that a good chunk of my adulthood had passed and I hadn't scored many happiness points.

It was actually 5 summers ago, when I left my marriage that I was introduced to meditation. I was dating a Buddhist (not a monk, obviously ;) who gave me Robin Sharma's, "The Monk who Sold his Ferrari." It was a great read and opened my world up to a power I hadn't known. Every meditation I have practiced since has been even more powerful because of the ease at which I can now connect with my higher self.

The ability to stop the noise in my head ultimately resulted in the PAUSE concept that I teach others as a means by which to connect to the power within. This conscious connection is different for everyone but no one can discount the amazing things that can manifest once the mind in still.

Honesty Note... Today, I cheated a little. I took three kids to the beach and I had a plan: I was going to soak up some rays while I read the next chapter in Wayne Dyer's, "Change your Thoughts, Change your Life" and find inspiration for my next blog post (someone gave me a gentle nudge of encouragement this week after noticing that my entries had come to a stop - more on this at another time). I am pleased to say that I left the beach having surpassed my goal because the whole blog was written and the kids were beat out and actually willing to go home when I was ready :) I think this still qualifies!!

I don't remember my dad ever meditating and certainly not writing a blog on the beach, but I do remember the value he put into his Quiet Time. It is possible he is a closet Buddhist or a closet something because I have never known him practice any sort of religion. Rather than by meditating or chanting, my father committed to his Quiet Time in his regular routine. Whether he was out for a walk, reading, writing in his study or "resting his eyes" (i.e., napping, after teaching all day), we understood that this was an essential ingredient to the successful operation of one Melvin Payne.

Buddhist or no, my father taught me the value of Quiet Time. It is a Lesson Learned that I am embracing in my everyday life. What a difference it has made... And I have the blog material to prove it!! :)