The GOLD in silence

Many of you will know that I’ve been in and out of hospital over the past several months attempting to get to the bottom of my disturbingly low blood pressure issues. The tests continue… however, there is something absolutely incredible that has awakened and shifted in me that’s just too good to keep to myself. I’ve connected with the GOLD in silence.

My current circumstances have limited my capacity to drive or venture very far from my home. This is a huge compromise to my quality of life and freedoms. 

I have a choice about how I handle the situation – I can get bitter about it, or I can get better. 

Choosing better over bitter takes work – it requires a conscious refocus of attention, which is an active process of the brain to re-orient focus and attention towards a more helpful and adaptive outlook, versus giving focus to the limitations and restrictions which contracts your energy and outlook on life.  

Remember: where focus goes, energy flows!

I’ve had ample opportunity to enjoy rest, stillness, and silence which I’ve been wanting for some time. 

I’ve struggled to rest. I realise that I didn’t know how to rest. 

This may sound silly, however, it’s very real. 

My life to date has been about providing, doing, and attending to others, all the while, neglecting to attend properly to my own needs.

You see, I didn’t grow up valuing rest. I was conditioned and programmed to value a strong work ethic and service to others.

There’s nothing wrong with having a strong work ethic and service orientation, so long as it is done in a balanced way ie. not at expense to your own health, needs and wellbeing.

I meditate each morning and evening – just for 20 minutes. This is a discipline I’ve been practicing for many years. It was hard in the beginning, but with consistent practice, it gets so much easier and the benefits are immeasurable.

Meditation has been a catalyst to my healing journey over the course of the last 20 years, so much so, that I decided to learn to teach and facilitate mindfulness practices which I’ve been offering for the last 2 years. I offer it also as a wonderful addition to workplace wellness programs, offsites, and bespoke retreat breakouts.

In the silence between rest and stillness, I found G.O.L.D.  This stands for:

• Good
• Objective
• Logical
• Discernment

Good means I’m able to observe my activity of the mind and direct focus towards the good and wholesome thoughts that result in an expansion of my energy.

Objective in relation to silence means I’m able to take a wider lens on my thoughts and not assess all thoughts as true or right. This enables me to consider others perspectives, not just my preferred automatic perceptions.

Logical means instead of instinctively following the urges of my initial or immediate thoughts racing around in my head, I’m able to hold space for them and observe them without attachment. This enables me to sense the space between an emotional reaction versus a more logical approach or response.

Discernment is what is made possible when we give ourselves time and space to think in stillness, where there is no rush and no pressure. You’re able to ‘see’ the thoughts in a non-attached way and decide which are worth pursuing in alignment with your long term plans and goals and values.

My wish for you is that you can create some time for silence and stillness in your day, so that you too can tap into the GOLD that’s available to guide your inner peace and next steps.

The world needs your light right now, so take good care of you by embracing the GOLD in silence.

Shine on!