When Doing Nothing IS Doing Something

I've been working with a client who is truly amazing. (Well, actually, I haven't met a client who isn't.) She is so sharp and deeply insightful. And she is very good at keeping herself so busy that she doesn't have to deal with the feelings that her deep insight brings up.

But, she took a vacation. And instead of letting go, she is struggling with not being productive.

Ever have those thoughts while you were on a holiday? "I should be getting in touch with that client." or "I really need to double check my email to see if..." It can make the idea of relaxing impossible!

It is a modern phenomenon that we all know. Unfortunately.

With our lives so intertwined with what we do, in turn making WHAT we do WHO we are, then boundaries disappear and we start struggling with the issue of work/life balance.

Don't get me wrong - I think it is incredibly powerful to be able to do something (work) that you feel passionate and deeply involved in, but it can easily turn into a lopsided affair. One where work is pitted against family, health, and partnership.

I personally think it happens when we forget to do nothing. (Let me put it another way that sounds more positive.) I mean, when we decide to just BE.

Be still. Be quiet. Be centered. Be focused. Be here.

Of course, BEING, can just take a moment, and then things in life balance out. But sometimes things are so off, that it takes more time just BEING, to get things balanced again.

"We collect data, things, people, ideas, profound experiences, never penetrating any of them ... But there are other times. There are times when we stop. We sit still. We lose ourselves in a pile of leaves or its memory. We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper."

- James Carroll

When 1 + 1 = 3

Yes, as promised, I am actually linking this back to the concept of more-than-the-sum-of-its parts theory. It is quite simple, really.

When you do nothing (1) but sit and listen to the birds (1) or play with your children (1) or read a good book (1), those deep issues, thoughts, challenges, are relegated to another part of the brain. More importantly, so is the stress (along with the toxins).

The result is a more clear, focused, balanced approach to whatever task was making the space between your eyes pinched and tight. Possibilities open up, or blocks fall away.

(Photo by Dimitri Castrique.)

And if they don't, then perhaps you haven't spent enough time doing "nothing".