Being still is not something that has ever come easily to me. I’m a busy woman. I like to get things done and I like to be productive. Every now and then, when I am the least still actually, I feel this angst deep within that rises to the surface disguised as anxiousness. So I work. I work extra diligently, answering emails, shooting video, editing timelines, making phone calls to clients and to vendors…because surely I’m behind or I wouldn’t feel that anxious feeling. Work is completed and its still there. So I clean. I scour the kitchen, organize the refrigerator, change the bedding, clean bathrooms, and light my favorite Anthropologie candle that makes everything smell as good as it looks.
The internal nagging has quieted (I’ve worn it out), but its still there. In that moment I feel uninspired. If I’m being completely honest with you, in that moment I feel lost. I check social media. Facebook, Instagram, Blogger, Twitter. Perhaps someone out there has something that will inspire and motivate me to be amazing, because everyone else sure is amazing. Nothing. Maybe I missed it. Facebook, Instagram, Blogger, Twitter. Still nothing.
I decide that I must just have some mental clutter and a workout will refresh and recharge. I intend to head out for a run but receive a call from a colleague and get back into work mode. Thirty minutes later I’m on the couch unable to get motivated to go for that run. At a complete loss I turn to Oprah, because she obviously has all the answers. I’m sure I have some Super Soul Sunday waiting for me on the DVR. Twenty minutes in and the angst is still there.
Please tell me that I am not the only woman who is plagued by these type of days!
Then I realize that perhaps what I need is what I’ve been distracting myself from for the past several hours. Maybe all I need is to sit in complete silence and be still.
Be still and know that I am God. (Psalms 46:10)
So I unplug and surrender to the One who created it all and is All. I sit on my couch with legs folded Indian style (I know there is a PC term for that but have no idea what it is), close my eyes, and ask God to infuse me with whatever it is that I need. I inhale and exhale and pray and sit and think and try to quiet my mind and listen…thirty-seven minutes later I wake up and realize that I fell asleep.
This is a true story and days like this creep in often when I am not deliberately carving out at least a half hour daily to sit and be still. When life gets busy and I’ve put my quiet time on hold for seemingly more important things, I inevitably enter into a day like this, which serves no one.
As woman (and men) we get so busy being busy that being still turns into a 30 minute nap versus 30 minutes of truly sitting in quiet and receiving. We seek to be inspired not realizing that inspired literally means “in spirit” and “immediate influence of God”. We want to create and share our hearts with those around us because we know its what we are wired to do (whether you are a homemaker, a mom, a career woman, retired) and we want to live an inspired life – one that hopefully inspires others to do the same. But ladies, we cannot be effective and fulfill that which we are called to do if we are running on fumes and are constantly distracted.
Being still is not a waste of time. It is essential if you want to live an inspired life.
xo,
Alison
