“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in life has a purpose.”
~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D.
I know that Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was a psychiatrist who studied death and dying. And yet, her words of wisdom here can apply to so much.
I suggest meditation to so many, if not nearly all, of my clients, because I have found that getting in touch with – and comfortable with – sitting still yields so much. My clients who have felt anxious and stressed have found more calm and ease. My clients who have had health issues and/or sleep challenges have…well, found more calm and ease. My clients who have hated their work situations or who have been at odds with their boss or who have been operating in overwhelm have…yep, you guessed it.
They’ve found more calm and ease.
Personally, strengthening my own meditation practice (and my yoga practice) and meditating consistently, every day, even if just for a few moments, has not only brought me more calm and ease, it has given me a sense of a buffer or space with which to handle whatever comes my way. I can feel anger at a colleague or loved one rising in me, and I have the wherewithal to breathe, let the anger pass, and take whatever actions I need to take. I can feel irrational fears, rational anxiety, my confidence shaken, or pressure to figure something out or to make a decision. I can feel any or all of these bubbling inside of me, and I have the wherewithal to know that they’re just feelings, that I have resources, and that I can and will figure it out (or get help).
Getting in touch with the silence within me, with compassion and self-care, has given me space to show up as my best self, and it has also, as Elisabeth Kubler-Ross promises, helped me see the purpose and the learnings in even the tougher moments that I experience.
Even our worst experiences can often have a purpose. As I often say, while I wouldn’t wish hardship or trauma or pain on anyone, those of us who have known this type of challenge more often have a greater appreciation for the simple things in life and more often can recognize and celebrate little wins. That, in and of itself, can be a purpose.
I encourage you to challenge yourself to sit with your silence (and yourself). Sit with your feelings and thoughts and desires and needs. Allow yourself to know yourself, and allow yourself to appreciate yourself.
How have you learned to sit with your silence?
Please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For support in sitting, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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