“The 2 most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why” – attributed to Mark Twain
Everything that is a part of nature shifts and flows in a natural rhythm.
The sun rises and then it sets and rises again. Ocean waves rush toward the shore and then recede back out again.
Seasons change.
On and on it goes. Over and over.
An endless rhythmic cycle of grand change and endless movement and divine flow.
This unceasing rhythm of life is a part of who we are and it (literally) plays out in our human body.
We fall asleep and we wake up. Our lungs contract and expand as we breathe.
On and on it goes. Over and over.
And yet so many of us feel like we’re somehow ‘not allowed’ to bring this natural, gentle, genius rhythmic cycle into our daily lives.
We feel the push and the unconscious impulse — even addiction — to doing, doing, doing.
We’re always switched on and we’re never off.
It’s embedded into the way we work and play.
It’s in how we run our businesses and our households.
And even as the world takes a pause during this unprecedented time, I see so many personal growth and business gurus calling on people to “rise up” and “smash through the fear” or “catch up on your to-do list” or “learn a new skill.”
There’s this hidden yet intense pressure to maximize every second of time we have.
But what if there’s another way?
What if we put down the pen and the spatula and the vacuum and savor a cup of coffee (or tea or water)?
What if we gave ourselves permission to do nothing and just BE with ourselves?
What if we simply allowed and accepted who we are right now and how we feel… without judgment?
So I’ll be straight with you..
Being and resting in who we are and how we feel is going to look pretty chaotic on the outside.
It might look like an overflowing laundry basket, a cluttered desk or unwashed cups in the sink.
It might translate to greying roots and crazy brows…
It might mean far fewer Zoom meetings and “online Happy Hours” with friends.
And it might make you feel lazy or selfish but let me tell you, nothing could be farther from the truth.
BE-ing there for yourself and with yourself is the opposite of lazy and selfish.
It’s a mindful, generous, practice of love because BE-ing without DO-ing is the space in which you get to know who you truly are and what you truly want.
When you give yourself room to breathe and just be, and as you sit with the unwanted emotions so many of us are feeling lately — fear, anger, frustration, anxiety, heartache, loneliness — you begin to open up and cultivate a deep understanding of your inner world.
And when we can fully accept and embrace who we are and how we feel without needing to change or transform or “uplevel” anything, something magical happens…
We start to create a delightful inner space of love and safety and connection inside ourselves.
And this inner space can only arise from a deep knowing and deep reverence for the act of Not Doing and Just Being.
Here’s the thing…
Our existence in this world and in this Universe matters. Every soul alive today isn’t here because of a random act of coincidence.
We are here for a reason and the greatest gift we can give to ourselves and to all those we love (and yes, to the entire world) is to discover or rediscover that purpose, that deep inner calling, the real reason we’re here.
It’s a process, a journey and when we allow ourselves to listen closely — without judgement — to that inner voice that whispers ‘rest’, this purpose will begin to make itself known.
You’ll know it in that inexplicable call to paint again when you haven’t picked up a brush in years…
It’s in the call to journal your ideas for a novel…
It’s in the call to pick up your Tarot deck…
It’s in the call to start a Podcast…
It’s in the call to walk away from clients that don’t fulfill you…
It’s in the call to dance again.
Finding and eventually living our purpose is the thing we’re all looking for, it’s the only real path to lasting joy, and fulfillment in life.
There’s nothing more important, more crucial than this because the day you give yourself room to just BE, is the day you start to hear that inner whisper, that intuition, that guidance that will never lead you astray.
And as Mark Twain said…it’s the day you find out why.