Category Archives: Quiet

Discover the quiet moments in your life and absorb their peace

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Discover the quiet moments in your life and absorb their peace.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Karen Easley

I like the phrase “Peace and Quiet.”

Looking at this saying closely, it seems to me that the word quiet should precede the word peace.

Explore for yourself the quiet times of your days and the level of peace you experience.

What is your life like when you operate during high volume situations?

How peaceful do you feel during these insults to your eardrums?

EXERCISE:

What are some new and better ways you can seek, find, and absorb greater quiet and peace in your life?

When the outside world is loud, be quiet inside

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“When the outside world is loud, be quiet inside.”

—Niklas Goke, writer/blogger

Image from Unsplash by chairulfajar

For as long as I can remember, I’ve avoided loud noises.

I rarely seek out or attend big gatherings such as sporting events, concerts, or other  crowded venues. Big cities, airports, and driving in traffic are definitely not for me.

With this awareness in mind, one of my favorite possessions is a set of noise cancellation head phones with those squishy ear buds.

I use them every day to meditate and listen to calming sounds of nature to relax and calm my inner world.

EXERCISE:

How loud is the world around you?

What strategies do you employ to lower the volume to discover greater peace and quiet within?

“Lower the volume so your soul can speak.”

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“Lower the volume so your soul can speak.”

—Barry Demp, Demp Coaching

Image from Unsplash by Alasdair Elmes

What do you hear when your mind is quiet?

By quieting the thinking mind, your soul has a better chance to be heard.

It is this deep soulful voice we wish to hear so that we can be fully present to both ourselves and others on a more profound level.

Lowering the volume to a whisper can help put you on a path to explore even greater mindfulness and self-awareness.

EXERCISE:

Where and how do you take time each day to lower the volume so your soul can speak to you?

“If you can learn from hard knocks, you can also learn from soft touches.”

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“If you can learn from hard knocks, you can also learn from soft touches.”

—Carolyn Kenmore, American model and author

Image from Unsplash by Eugenia Maximova

Being gritty and busting one’s butt seem to get lots of attention in relationship to pursuing and achieving success. When we look at athletic coaches in the locker room at halftime, what we expect is some form of aggressive, loud, “pump yourself up” motivational message.

Rarely do the quieter messages of encouragement and soft touches of support get any airtime. They are always drowned out by the massive number of strategies competing for our increasingly scarce attention.

EXERCISE:

Where in your personal or professional worlds are there whispered messages and soft, supportive touches that have something to teach you?

How can and will you tap into these more subtle inputs to become all you wish to be?

“The good and the wise lead quiet lives.”

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“The good and the wise lead quiet lives.”

—Euripides, tragedian of classical Athens

The subtitle of the book, Quiet, by Susan Cain is:

“The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking.”

By no means am I suggesting that extroverts are not good or wise. I am, however, suggesting that because of their quietness, we often miss seeing the goodness and the wisdom in those who are more introverted.

Perhaps you are one of them.

Other resources, including the classic “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, describe the value and impact of the more quiet and humble Level 5 Leaders.

EXERCISE:

Where can you more fully appreciate and perhaps pursue a quieter life to experience even greater wisdom and goodness in your world?

Solitude is where I place my chaos

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“Solitude is where I place my chaos to rest and awaken my inner peace.”

—Nikki Rowe, American Author

Image of woman sitting on a mountaintop

Image from Unsplash by Caleb Frith

In the book QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain indicates that about one half of the population fits into this group.

For a wide variety of reasons, introverts prefer, and often function better, when the volume of life is low.

It appears that all people – not just introverts – need to withdraw into periods of solitude and quiet, to rest and awaken their inner peace. Without such moments, we all wear out and burn out, and that isn’t good for anyone.

EXERCISE:

In what way can and will you start carving out more moments of solitude and quiet to discover greater calm, balance, and peace in your life?

The Very Best Ideas

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“The very best ideas can very often come from the quietest voice.”

-Sir Johnathan “Jony” Ive, Chief Design Officer of Apple Inc.

We are living in revolutionary times.

I am not referring to political, social or even global revolutionary activities.

Instead, I’d like you to consider that there is a revolution occurring in which the quiet voices and ideas of about one-half the world’s population—the introverts—are being heard for their insight and value.

Take a close look at yourself and those around you. Where do you/they fit on the introvert/extrovert spectrum? Pay particular attention to some of the quieter voices around you. What extraordinary ideas can you now discover, appreciate, and realize?

EXERCISE:

To dig deep into this concept, go to www.quietrev.com  to see where you can more fully take advantage of the quiet revolution, based on the work of Susan Cain.