One of the side effects of the pandemic lockdown is that we no longer have the "noise" of everyday life - the constant "keeping up" and glorification of being busy. We've stopped the proverbial "rat race," if you will. So, now we have to sit with the "noise" within us. The noise that was always there, but we methodically and consistently drowned out. Now we must be with ourselves.
Unfortunately, this noise can be more destabilizing.
For some, this will be the hardest thing they'll ever do. For others who may have already done this work, it's a shift in presence that is required. Not easy, but not as difficult. The adrenaline rush of fear has abated, and now the pace must change without the urgency–without the glorification–of "saving lives" as the reason.
Though we may still be saving others' lives by staying home, the life we are most "saving" is our own. Not all will choose to do this, and that's ok. But if you're willing, you have an opportunity here to create a paradigm shift from deep within - one that will carry you forward for the rest of this lifetime and beyond. If you are willing, you can change who you are and how you choose to show up, by reconnecting to your core - to do this, you must first get comfortable with the noise within.
Personally, I'm finding the slower pace to be incredibly welcome, with a few unsettling moments. I've never not had burning motivation prodding me along - especially not in the last year or two as I built my company. I have pushed through knowing that my long days would be worth it in the end. But now?
Now the days feel longer though they are less full. Less "busy." Less "noisy." It's the silence of the times that fills the hours and my awareness more than to do lists and a digital task manager. It has taken some getting used to, but I can now sum it up in one sentence:
It feels more like flow than force.
Instead of fighting for time and deadlines, I am creating balance. Instead of firing off endless rapid emails, I am focused on creating better communication. And instead of working until the night sky has engulfed the space outside my window, I am choosing rest.
Balance
Communication
Rest
This is a Yin time. A time of restoration, of pause, and of reset. It's a time for us to create a paradigm shift within ourselves that translates to a paradigm shift in the world around us. The admission price for this transformation is entirely up to you, and it is found deep within when the noise around us dies down and we begin to listen.
