A message from Sandy. As our world continues to change, I believe there are some things getting lost that need to be reclaimed. If you say to someone, “Our world is very different that it once was.” In response, people will shake their heads knowingly–this statement must conjure up a variety of ideas based on how old they are and from what vantage point they compare today with the past. The good news is that many of these things can be re-discovered and we have the power to do it.

One thing that is disappearing is quiet.

We don’t always make room in our lives for quiet time. When we are in the car–the radio is on, if we are walking–our I-pods are on, if we are waiting for an airplane–our first concern is to locate an outlet–we can’t run out of battery for our phones or computer! When we are at home–the television is on. You see the pattern. These are all intentional activities. While we all have noise around us, instinctively we know that quiet is a good thing.

We value the pause that a speaker gives us so we have a chance to absorb his or her points. We enjoy a retreat to a quiet park or forest. While we know quiet is valuable and useful, we don’t always take advantage of that knowledge–we don’t choose quiet often enough.

In order for us to choose quiet, we must first choose some other things. We must choose to slow down. We must choose to stop multi-tasking. We must choose to be introspective. We must choose to spend time by ourselves. All these choices come before the choice for quiet. Think about it—how much time do you spend in quiet each day? I’m not sure, but I bet it is safe to say the typical person’s quiet time can be measured in minutes.

Once you have made the choice to make quiet time for yourself—whatever will you do? Let me suggest a few ideas for you to consider.

Do stretching excercises

Clear your mind

Review your goals and your progress towards them

Think about your day–reflect on the happenings and the lessons that can be learned

Mentally preview tomorrow–planning and visualizing your success.

Meditate

Pray

Practice deep breathing

Think of creative solutions to a challenge or problem you are facing

Count your blessings

Remember when your teachers would “Shhh” us when they wanted us to be quiet and pay attention. It’s time for us to “Shhh” ourselves–to make time for quiet–give yourself a chance to focus, re-connect and reflect.