Leveraging "The Quiet"

As I write this, everyone else in the house is sleeping. I’m looking out at a great view, but the only things I can hear are my inner thoughts and the clacking of the keyboard. To be honest, my inner thoughts are much louder than the keyboard clacking.

You see, the daytime is loud. So many inputs being filled with stuff. There are so many disruptions.

So much noise.

Too much noise.

The noise is hard to escape, and it follows me as long as it can. But when I make an effort to embrace the silence, I’m no longer running away from anything. Instead, I’m still. And that’s where the magic starts to happen.

More often than not, the magic starts for me during the later hours of the day.

This is the time when I can really think and process everything that has happened throughout the day. It's when I can sit down and really map out the day to come. It's when I have the clarity I need to ensure my intentions are being met and are getting the attention they deserve.

This - the quiet - is why I'm a night owl.

The quiet is where I am able to do my best work. For some, the quiet can happen in the early morning or in the late evening.

The quiet serves me because I listen to what’s held within it. The quiet helps me move forward when I feel I’m stuck in one place.

I haven't just figured how to find the quiet, I've also found out how to leverage it. I journal at night because the quiet gives me the ability to log my day with purpose. I write at night because I have the focus to do my craft justice.

I also plan at night because I think clearer at this point in the day. This serves me the next day when I'm simply not able to focus on anything of great depth or importance as soon as I get out of bed.

I know I wouldn’t value the quiet without having to deal with the noise in the first place. But I’m sure glad I’ve figured out how to find the quiet – and leverage it – when I need it.

So...find your quiet. Whether it be a time of day, a place where you can focus, or something in between and leverage it like crazy. When you do you'll be making the right kind of noise in work and in life from now on.