One of our best resources is ourselves. As covered in the last two posts a key element for staying on track for our goals, vision or purpose is checking our happiness quotient. We can only do this in moments of quiet reflection. One of the key benefits of a retreat, a pilgrimage, meditation, a walk in the woods, yoga or any similar activity is that it gives us time away from our everyday distractions. It is impossible to have quiet time if we are wired 24/7 or rushing constantly from task to task. All the great thinkers from Buddha to Albert Einstein made time for reflection. All great religions advocated the benefits of pilgrimages and retreats.
Why?
Free from the burdens of normal everyday living our mind can drop the need to act or respond immediately to outside activities. We can ask ourselves questions and in reflection let the answers unfold. It is in the quiet moments that we realign ourselves with our purpose, rediscover what makes us happy, find creative solutions to perplexing problems, find the things we are grateful for, and put problems into perspective. The mind like a muscle needs the relaxation to regroup, refresh and grow.
The amount of time we take does depend on our obligations but there will always be at least 15 minutes a day that we can take for ourselves. Just like we take care of the need to eat and sleep; we need to take the time for reflection.
Take the time to be present with ourselves daily and we will always be on track for our destination and enjoying our journey on the way.
11 conversations:
oh my, sarge and i are so guilty of this!! the tv is on 24/7, the computers make a noise if there is an new email, we blog daily, blah blah blah. since we retired we do travel alot, but always take our laptops, cell phones, etc. with us, even on a big cruise ship. every single day. i am going to make a concerted effort to try this. it actually sounds pretty darned good!!
smiles, bee
Thanks bee its hard to do at first but if you keep it simple and a reasonable amount of time it will work wonders for you.
yup, definitely going to give it a try...
smiles, bee
Very true.I agree.A good post.Best wishes.
Thank you surjit for your comment
Peter - excellent point and why I don't watch TV. Waste of valuable time I could be doing something constructive.
When I retired I got rid of the PDA, cell phones, pager, day timer, and my wristwatch. Such freedom to be at one with oneself.
it is liberating and a much more comfortable pace. You get time to smell the roses. Thanks for the comment comedy+
Stillness within is invaluable!
I have a roommate who always has some sort of noise going on around her. She can't fall asleep without having the TV on. For some people I guess it's a comfort zone thing.
I, on the other hand, cherish each moment of peace, quiet and reflection! Thanks for the reminder Peter!
Thanks wonder woman. i need to remind myself also.
How easy we forget. Just go within from time to time.
It's easy to forget in the hustle and bustle of our everyday world. Thanks for your comment Michael
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