Maybe you, like Sharon, love this last week of the year for the quiet inspiration that it inspires in you. Or maybe you are thinking, “what quiet?!?!!” as you wend your way through the transition from 2016 to 2017. Today’s podcast will meet you wherever you may find yourself. In this last episode of our inaugural season, Sharon shares the importance of finding and exploring quiet moments - with a special emphasis on how we can embrace them when they show up naturally and create them on our own when they don’t. Here’s hoping that you will find some magic in them, whenever they do show up.

Ideas Shared:

Quiet is a gift. It allows the distractions of the everyday to melt away and we can center in on what matters most.

To fully appreciate quiet, we must be mindful. And to be mindful is to be present, in the here and now.

There are two ways that we might find ourselves spurred on to quiet: 1) A natural prompt like a major life milestone, or 2) An intentional move towards quiet.

Quiet Prompted by a Major Milestone

We know these moments when they hit us. A birth or death; a graduation; a move, a job transition. Sometimes there are certain times of year that prompt reflection, like the start of a new school year in the fall, your birthday, or an annual vacation.

Questions you might ask at these times:

• What are the high points, the big celebrations?
• What’s been tough?
• How have I spent my time?
• Where have I been?
• Who are the people that have been there with me through the year?

And then importantly shifting from this past reflection into some present centered learning.

• What lessons am I holding as I step into the new year?
• What do I choose to let go of as I shift from this year into the next?
• What actions or mindsets serve me as I make this transition?

There are many ways that you might explore these questions. Here are 3 examples:

1. Sit down with a close friend or business bestie
2. Personal reflection as a primary focus (e.g. journaling, going on a retreat)
3. Doing the work with intentional space for personal reflection (e.g. can be done for many mundane administrative tasks; how I approach tax preparation)

Creating Quiet Yourself

The bigger opportunity to finding quiet moments in our everyday is by creating them for ourselves. This is a practice and not an achievement. “Noises” will show up and throw us off center. How we come back to our quiet, our present, becomes the questions.

Four ways to bring yourself back to quiet:

1. Recognize that quiet is available all the time
2. Create triggers for inviting quiet
3. Be present
4. Create a discipline making quiet part of your routine

Resources and Links:

• I shared at the end of the show a sneak preview for our January giveaway. To get your name entered for the There is Nothing Stopping You screen print raffle, join our community here.

• I drew inspiration at the top of the show from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. The meditation below is from his book of calligraphies, This Moment is Full of Wonders.

Breathing in, I calm my body.

Breathing out, I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment,

I know this is a wonderful moment.

• I shared that one of my own rituals for creating quiet is joining dear friends and fellow entrepreneurs on our annual Entrepreneur’s Getaway. You can read more about that retreat on the blog.