“The waters are in motion, but the moon retains its serenity.”

 — D.T. Suzuki

 

In our ‘always on’ and ‘chasing more of more’ times, many of us have lost sight of the timeless benefits of living a different kind of life.  A life less busy.  A life less full.  A simpler life. In essence, a distinctly quieter life. 

 

As counterculture as this may seem, we can ask ourselves if following the existing status quo has been working for us?

 

Has chasing more led to more happiness?

 

Has working more hours, to earn more money, equated to more quality time with our loved ones?

 

Is chasing the next promotion and status job title likely to lead us to true happiness?

 

Has growing our business to ever more dizzying heights led to less headache, more sleep and more work/life balance?  More ‘success’?

 

Is all this striving for an imaginary ideal of success making us feel like our best selves?

 

 

Personal Challenges – Signal Versus Noise and Chasing Versions of Success I Did Not Own

Like all of us, I face such internal struggles myself.  Some examples are in order.

 

1) Spending too long listening to the ‘Noise’ without tuning into the ‘Signal’

Modern living has increased both the choices available to us and the volume in our lives.

 

Even the once safe havens (libraries, bookstores, and cafes) are not immune to the incessant beeps of incoming messages on smartphones, overly loud ‘personal’ music, and conversations.  We now need to be reminded to turn off our handsets before a film starts in the cinema!

 

Days filled with escalating noise and distraction have become a default state for so many of us.

 

How do we get an injection of tranquility and calm in a world so full of potential distraction?

 

How do we find time for a little stillness in a world of motion?

 

We simplify.  We identify the essential, the few things that truly matter.  This is what is left when we pare down and strip away the distractions in life.

 

These essentials include the people and relationships we are committed to.  The things that make our hearts sing most.  The goals and achievements that spark a fire inside.

 

This is the signal in amongst the noise.  This is where we want most of our time invested.

 

2) Chasing Status & Job Titles

Truth be told, this never really leads to any lasting degree of fulfillment for me personally.  Quite the opposite, it can often lead to more headache, frustration and discontent.  Yet, I have spent time, energy and effort invested in chasing it. Time, energy and effort that could have been used elsewhere in more constructive pursuits.

 

Job titles and status matters less than we think.  What we are really looking for is purpose, meaning and potentially recognition in what we do.  We want our efforts to count and to add value.  Alongside this, we want to feel seen and valued.

 

 

3) Wanting More (of More)

I have written in some detail on this topic on Tiny Buddha previously so will try not to  repeat myself.  Let’s just say that wanting and chasing more doesn’t always equate to more meaning, happiness and wellbeing.  In fact, chasing too much more leads us further away from those treasured states.

 

Identifying, defining, and owning our own version of ‘enough’ is a more meaningful objective.  What that looks like for each of us is very much a personal journey.

 

4) Trying to Get More (of More) Done

Another goal that can quickly lead to dead ends and strange places in my experience.  Productivity for the sake of productivity can become a trap of its own.

 

Rather than trying to get more of everything done as efficiently as possible, we would be better served by being selective with what we try to get done in the first instance.  Some tasks and goals may not be for us at all, if we just spent more time filtering our ‘incoming’.

 

Getting the right kind of more done, is not the same as trying to get more of everything done.

 

 

Quiet – A Purposeful and Selective Bias

Life need not be all rush, rush, rush.  We can choose a different route.

 

A simpler life is not necessarily a life of sloth, we can still get stuff done.  The fact is, if we are selective, we can still get a lot of stuff done and more of that stuff can be tied into pursuits that are meaningful to us, and those we serve

 

A quieter life is not necessarily a boring life, there is still plenty of room for adventure.  We can work hard but balance that with time to enjoy our achievements.

 

A quieter life means making some choices.  It involves being selective with where and how we use our time.  Being selective with where and how we invest our energy.  Being selective with where our attention and efforts are directed.  It involves self-inventory.  Identifying the things that matter most to us and focusing on them.  We remove distractions as much as possible.

 

This can lead us to some interesting discoveries.

 

• Maybe all those meetings and commitments in our diary are not as important as we thought
• Perhaps keeping white space in our days for family and friends would serve us better
• Maybe we need to get comfortable saying no more often
• If we are selective in what we say yes to, we get more done, with less fuss and less stress
• As business owners, perhaps we realise we don’t actually need to (or want to) grow our company too far and we are perfectly happy with it small, profitable and agile
• Maybe we realise that yes, we want to work hard to provide for our family, but we also want to be around to spend quality time with them
• Action needs balancing with rest (yin needs yang). There is a time to sprint for the line and there is also a time to just put our feet up.
• We can define our version of success. We can personalise and own that version of success.
• We can reconnect with the essential importance of self-care and restoration habits in our lives
• We can make space for slowing down without coming to a complete standstill

 

 

There is more than one way to live this precious life.

 

It’s not all about rushing.  It’s not all about getting ahead of the competition.  It’s not always about getting more and more done.

 

There can also be space for calm.  More than that, we need this space for quiet and calm.

 

 

 

 

**Reminder: 

My latest book, ‘Seeking the Light – Essays for the Way’ is available to download now.

 

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