As a company leader that tries to live the teachings of Christ, I can honestly say that I stumble and fall on so many occasions. None more so than when I try to ‘be still.’ We entrepreneurs tend to never be still. It makes us itch…it just feels wrong. However, being still is a command that God gives us for our own good and prosperity. I’m no Bible scholar or great philosophical thinker, but I’m going to try to relate to you how mastering the art of ‘being still’ will change your life.
What it means to ‘be still’
I believe nothing illustrates an idea better than a good analogy and, since I’m an artist, at my core, let’s go there:
An artist is working on a painting. After about two hours, she finds that she is stuck and she can no longer ‘see’ the art clearly. That original inspired idea has gotten lost in her mind and she is stuck in the tiny details instead of seeing the artwork as a whole. It suddenly looks like a jumbled mess and she wonders how she ever thought it was a worthwhile pursuit in the first place. Dejected, the artist sighs, puts down her brush, and walks out of the studio.
When she comes back a few hours later, resolute on trashing the canvas, the original idea leaps back to the forefront of her mind and she sees the piece anew. Why did she think that her piece of art belonged in the trash just a few hours ago? And that is the question.
Stepping away is progress. God knows it, but we are hard-headed.
In the pursuit of creating great art, the artist must step away in order to come back with new eyes. Ergo, we must step away from whatever we are doing in order to reach a higher place.
Stepping away is the only way towards excellence.
No, not stepping away into more noise, more work, more headaches. No, God calls us to enter stillness with Him in order to know Him. In knowing Him, we recalibrate and refocus back to what’s true and good. You can’t know what’s good without knowing God. You can’t know God outside the ‘stillness.’ Now, the most valuable part for me (and, I hope for you as well) is stepping away into the stillness.
Stepping into the Stillness
You can’t truly ever escape activity.
Life is activity or, said another way, all life is active otherwise it’s dead. Even being ‘still’ is an action you take. Unfortunately, for entrepreneurs, it’s the hardest kind of action. It feels like inaction, which we despise. But, the enlightening reality is that being in stillness with God is the most important action because it gets us to where we really want to be. In the stillness with God, everything else in our life gets put back to its proper place and we remember who we are, what we were meant for, and what we should be doing.
In essence, we recalibrate our work through refreshing ourselves. I don’t mean ‘refresh’ like feeling fresh (although, that can be a by-product) but, instead, I mean ‘refresh’ like what you do to a computer when it’s bogged down with programs, ones and zeros, and the rest. Think about yourself like that computer, running so long and so hot that its processor slows and threatens to screech to a halt. It needs to be refreshed, and you, oftentimes, need to be refreshed. Let’s talk about how to do that.
How to practice being ‘still’
Thankfully, it’s not rocket science.
It’s simple to do, but requires that you exhibit discipline over your wandering mind. Here’s how I do it:
1. Schedule time for deep stillness
It can be for any time duration, but I recommend at least 30 minutes blocked out every day at the same time. Make sure it’s a time that you can unplug from the rest of the world. For some, getting up before dawn is the only way to ensure they are left in peace because everyone else is still asleep.
2. Find your sanctuary
For deep stillness to occur you need a quiet place: a room or a spot outside in nature that is free of visual or sound distractions. If you can’t find a quiet place, then go somewhere dark where you can put headphones on and play soothing music with no lyrics or white noise.
3. Allow God to speak to you
In your quiet place, close your eyes and pray the following to the Father:
“I am here in stillness to hear you better. Please be with me, Father, and speak to me. Help me to understand you better, to know you better.”
Now, be silent.
Quiet your mind by actively listening for the Father. He is there with you. If other thoughts intrude, then acknowledge them and place them ‘outside’ of your mind. Then come back to the stillness. The goal during this time of meditation is to actively be still and listen. This isn’t about praying for this or that. It’s not about you.It’s about being obedient to our Father in Heaven. Remember, this daily exercise wasn’t made about you but it is absolutely for you.
4. Write down the Father’s words
It’s important for you to reflect on what God says to you each day. Dedicate a notebook for this daily stillness exercise where you can come back and reflect on what you learned. Sometimes the things He tells you aren't clear today, but become clearer in the future. If you journal these sessions, then you are more likely to learn from them a lot faster and hence it bears fruit in your life that much quicker.
Bonus: Adding daily 'stillness breaks' to recalibrate
Your focus is finite.
Trying to push through work without regular breaks will bog down your mind, body, and soul. It robs you of creativity, focus, and will. You can only produce your best work in short bursts and then you must refresh and refocus. So, what does this look like in real terms? Work for one or two hours and then stop for a ‘refresh’. I find that going for a short walk outside and talking to our Father works best because moving your body helps to move your mind. They are interconnected. During your walks, talk to Him about whatever is on your mind. Whether it’s the work you are currently doing or something else. Talking to our Father is better than any therapy session out there and walking is one of the best ways to keep your body loose and in working order.
Remember, the goal of this exercise is to get out of the rut and refresh your mind, body, and soul. You refresh your computer when it gets bogged down with programs; how much more important is it to refresh you?
I sincerely pray that you find peace and prosperity.
Your brother in Christ,
Leo