The other day I ran into a friend who has been following my blog and Facebook page. She said "your posts are so..." I braced myself waiting to hear something synonymous with sporadic or nonexistent but was unprepared for the word that came out of her mouth and touched my heart..."thoughtful". I fought the old habit of brushing off this compliment and simply replied "thank you".
It is often my experience that a friend, colleague, loved one or sometimes even a perfect stranger will say to me exactly what I need to hear at the right moment. You see, I had been feeling guilty about the frequency of my postings. The truth is though that I don't want to post several times a day or even week like so many others I know. In a previous post I made mention of "honoring your energy". For much of my life I've fought for consistent energy. The truth is though that my energy pulses. The more I accept and honor this the more I am able to have a balanced life. When I try to fight this natural cycle...life becomes HARD. Have you ever taken the time to think about your energy other than having the thoughts "I want more" or "I don't have enough"?
One of the posts I have been wanting to write is about a book I read last month, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. This book quickly made it onto my "Books That Have Had an Impact on My Life" list. Reading this book reinforced a decision I had made years ago to give myself permission to be still and silent and to see this as being just as valuable as (if not more than) being active and productive. This book highlights how being an extrovert has become praised by our society over being an introvert. In my twenties I often played the role of a pseudo-extrovert. I worked hard to overcome my anxiety regarding "small talk" and "networking" and thrust myself into the social arena. In a short period of time I even became the VP of one of the networking groups I had joined. Then I hit thirty and said "Enough! This is exhausting! Life is too short to spend it doing things that you don't enjoy." In fact it was on my 30th birthday that I not only resigned my position in the networking group but I left it completely. That was a big step in honoring my energy.
Can you relate? Are you "putting yourself out there" just so you don't get left behind? If so, I suggest the first step you take is reading this book. It is chock full of research on the importance of introverts and how in some instances introverts come out on top. There is also VERY interesting research regarding group versus individual work.
Now in writing this post I am publicly taking another big step and at the same time removing some of that self-imposed pressure we humans are so good at creating. So if you see me at a networking event, speaking in public or are reading something I posted; you know that what I am sharing is something that I consider to be important and that may enrich the life of another. Perhaps that offering is a recipe to challenge you to try a nutrient-packed food you may have never tried before or an insight to help you achieve more balance in your life. And those times when there is no online activity from me, I'm simply honoring my energy...choosing to be still and silent so that I may hear that next thoughtful insight.
I came across this quote the other day and found it to be very timely as I was drafting this post: "Remember, you are a human being, not a human doing."
Give yourself permission to just "be" for at least 5-10 minutes/day this week and at the end of the week take that time to reflect on how your week went. Were you able to move through it with more joy and ease? Perhaps in those quiet moments you even heard the answer to a question you've been asking...more on that "powerful whisper" in a future thoughtful post :)
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