If you’ve been catching yourself having moments of clarity, it may be the fruit of taking some time to rest, to slow down and to process.
This sometimes happens inadvertently and unplanned, so you don’t notice the unconscious steps you took to get there. But more often than not, clarity is preceded by calm — even in the day-to-day demands of decision-making. You rarely make a good decision when you are frantic or hurried; by extension, you tend to act with more wisdom when you get still enough to quiet the noise around and within.
Here in the United Kingdom, a bank holiday is on the horizon, heralded by the weekend, and it will give many of us the opportunity to catch up on much-needed rest and relaxation. I know I don’t need to tell you how to spend a holiday, but I would like to remind you to truly pause. The unintentional yield of enjoyment is the freedom to just be. Many don’t know that taking it easy is a path to alignment, rejuvenation and, for some, much-needed recalibration.
I have repeated the phrase “much-needed” a few times, and it is intentional — easing and priming your subconscious to pay attention. Alignment is key. It is important. There is a lot of talk about authenticity, but this is where it starts: flowing with what comes easily and naturally to you when you get still, as a product of rest. There’s something about joy that aligns us with who we really are. We can hear ourselves think again, and experience ourselves feeling gratitude.
Most of us have now managed to create the white space that allows our creative juices and our knowledge of witty inventions to flow. The challenge is that we are tempted to jump straight back into busyness and life in a hurry.
As we launch into new ventures or continue with the old, we must take advantage of the rest we accrue and strive to maintain a flow of ease and rest.
- No rushing off to impress. Restrain yourself!
- No building lists of overwhelming to-dos. It becomes a stifling mess.
- No filling of all the white space. Remember the 80/20 rule.
Rather, ease into it. Hold on to this feeling of peace and clarity when it comes, and stay with it. I dare say that living stress-free is a product of joy and that incomprehensible sense of peace.
Let’s lean in — and rather:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
— Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)