The Action of Non-Action

Have you ever had the experience of waking up and beginning your day but not being clear about how you were “feeling”? There might be one part of you who wants to go sit outside in the corner of your yard and contemplate the grass growing and another part of you who wants to break off into three versions of yourself to simultaneously accomplish three equally important tasks and there may be still another part of you who understands that walking to the kitchen and making coffee is about all you can muster to do at that very moment.

“Yes”, you think, “I will take action---only which one should I take first?”

When I woke up a few days ago feeling discombobulated, I called a good friend in an attempt to communicate what I was feeling. Turned out that this friend was feeling much this same way that I was and replied, “Yes, it’s like I want to go out into a field and stare at a cow”.

Taking action is important and we also need to remember to slow down and take a moment to allow all of our many selves to catch up with themselves. What I’m learning is that sometimes I believe we are moving at such a fast clip through life that we don’t often recognize when shifts (sometimes huge) in our consciousness are occurring. For a long time now I’ve been weeding out the many distractions of my life that have included alcohol, sugar, and various attention getting habits. As a result, I now find when I am not pre-occupied within these distracting moments that there is “Life” happening all around me. These moments of clarity are what I call the “white space” of Life. Prior to the gift of these awareness-moments, I was pulling every method and form of distraction that I could conjure so that I would not have to pay attention to what I predicted would be “bad” feelings (can we say control freak). Ever so gently, I am tiptoeing up to this awareness and allowing it to flow through me so that I’m able to find the miracles that may be available.

Now very simple things “feel” like blessings to me, such as noticing five red Cardinals as they land within the brown naked branches of the Magnolia tree in perfect harmony with the rhythm of the winter afternoon.

Before you take an action, remember these tips:

• slow down, take a breath, be still.
• give your thoughts a moment to catch up with themselves.
• if you process by speaking out loud, talk with someone; if you process by ‘seeing” what you’re feeling, write or paint it; if you process by being physical, take a walk or dance.
• Allow the simple awareness of life to “reach” you—by paying attention to what you are seeing, feeling and hearing.
• Acknowledge yourself on being willing to be willing.

What have you noticed today?

Coach Lynn Kindler offers Professional Life Coaching for individuals and groups wanting to actively engage in conscious choices for their lives and work. She is a graduate of Coach University, an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and has obtained certification from SUN (Success Unlimited Network™). Lynn is also a member of ICF. Lynn is currently pursuing her credentialing for the next level of certification through ICF (PCC-Professional Certified Coach and MCC-Master Certified Coach).

Her forte is helping clients discover their life purpose so that they can live their lives “on purpose.” She also coaches high profile people who want to define a successful life in their own terms. Coach Lynn leads self-care retreats in the state of Texas that combine Spiritual growth along with Career and Personal Success.