100 Days of Success: Day 56: Do Nothing!

I took the day off yesterday, yes other than a little writing when I was feeling inspired I did nothing! This is so unusual for me, I do ritually take an hour off per day and just chill out and add into that mix my daily 15 to 30 minutes of meditation time I take approximately an hour and a half a day off, but yesterday I was a lounge lizard for MOST of the day!

Why? Because my whole being was crying out for release, from thinking, from doing – I needed to spend time just being and that’s exactly what I did. It really helped that it was the second rainy day in a row which prevented me from washing and cleaning – which is how I often spend my Sundays and today I feel like a whole new person.

Doing nothing is never about doing nothing it is about rest, rejuvination, renewal and I knew it was time to spend some time refilling my jug with water because of some very salient factors:

• I was restless and antzy and could not spend time sitting at my computer without feeling aggravated
• I had writers block
• I was feeling tired all the time
• I wasn’t hungry at all – except for sweet things – a sure sign of energy depletion
• I was feeling very emotional – again a sure sign that time out to assimilate change is needed
• I had lost the motivation and passion I normally feel about what I do
• I was feeling stuck and in overwhelm

How often do you feel any of these things and continue on anyway? I have to tell you I believe in hard work, however as I said in another post about rest, how can you do your best without taking the time to renew your enthusiasm?

Doing nothing will often prove to be the most amazing thing you can do as well! At times doing nothing allows the space for the new to come into your life, all sorts of new, in fact knowing when to sit still and do nothing as you allow can bring with it incredible balance and opportunities as well as a completely new perspective on your life. There is a meditation that can be incredible enlightening, a dance meditation where the music plays and you are asked not to move at all until you feel impelled from your heart and soul to do so. This teaches us about what we really want and how to allow that to move us in life. Try it and see.

Give yourself a break, schedule in your me-time every day and every week, you will always take that time if you have put it in your diary as a non-negotiable as if it was a business meeting. You will be so much better, so much more alive and find a renewed sense of drive, motivation and passion for what you do and where you are going.

Related articles

• Doing Nothing: Lissa’s Thoughts on Meditation, Martha Beck, Jack Kornfield, and Britney Spears (psychologytoday.com)

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