31. Be Still, Not Sit Still
Settling the mind doesn't necessarily mean you have to be in inaction. Being still can and does occur in motion. Listen today as I make this distinction; Patrick Mahomes being my example.
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TRANSCRIPT
MUSIC: 🎶 Move your body. Move your body, baby. 🎵
Jenée: That’s what I'm talking about. [Oh my God, that just sounded like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite].
Welcome back.
So today, I wanna point out a distinction between the advice of being still, like clearing your mind as in meditation, and quiet being still, and the answers will come.
The distinction is that the phrase ‘Be still’ is not ‘sit still.’
Be still. Don't sit still. There's a difference, right?
Like I was talking to my little brother, and he's considering taking up a meditation practice or trying one anyway, and one of the reasons is that he has an incredibly active mind, as do most of us, and many of us don't carve out time to stop and listen or clear, or as my friend Aubrey says, clean our mind.
And what we know about energy is that your creative flow comes from a place inside—inside of us that's tapped into a larger creative wisdom. A creative Intelligence, God, the Universe, the Giver of Good Things, Existence, whatever you want to call it. And in order to tap into that doesn't mean you can't be in motion, right?
It doesn't mean you can't go for a walk. And some beautiful creative idea swooshes into your brain. Or that you can't be taking your morning shower and get a great idea about a problem you've been trying to solve a problem that because you kept at it, you know, like actively trying and trying to solve it, and efforting...
So now you're in the shower, and you're relaxed, or you're out for your walk, and suddenly you're like, “Oh my God, I didn't see this before.” And here's this great idea that comes in. Right?
So being still doesn't mean you have to sit still, is the point.
Today, this is a thought and a differentiation. I want to make clear because I think many people think that meditating or connecting to Source has to come in these complete silence, stillness, no-thoughts-allowed, clearings of our minds.
And I think, yes, there is truth in clarity, and often, great ideas come in the way of that absolute stillness and quiet moments.
At the same time, all great ideas, thoughts, and energy before it's taken form are part of a larger collective—that Creative Wisdom that we're all connected to. And it does not have a set rule about when it comes in, doesn't just come in in stillness, doesn't just come in in quiet.
It often comes in motion; motion be it of our thoughts or our body.
It does, however, and I need to make this distinction—It does tend to evade and elude us when we get agitated or sped up in our minds or do a lot of ‘trying’ to figure stuff out, like problem-solving, right?
State of mind, as we've talked about before, is definitely relevant.
If you're in an agitated, upset, negative, low state of mind, then helpful, creative, and expansive thought is gonna be pretty elusive to you. In those states, it's seemingly non-existent, but the minute you settle the mind, the minute it goes into a more positive or uplifting state, your feelings like joy and connection and love come through ideas and solutions will come.
That doesn't mean it has to be completely quiet. Those things about you can't say anything. Don't interrupt this silence. That's not a prerequisite. Be still means a place where our minds are not sped up in a frantic state. And you can see evidence of this in so many places, right? You can have a still mind but still be in motion.
Like think of Patrick Mahomes, we Kansas City/Independence folks—our beloved quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. That kid does amazing things because his creative juices flow constantly. Because he's not real agitated by many things, or at least seemingly so I don't live in his mind, so I can't actually tell you what the state of his mind is, but he seems to keep his cool even when he is under the most unbelievable pressure.
And there's a magic in that being still, even though his body is moving at lightning. Like his mind is composed enough to know to tap into what needs to come next in a difficult situation, especially in situations he hasn't anticipated. One of the things we do often in life is we encounter something that was unexpected, and suddenly we're like, “Oh my God, this isn't what was supposed to happen!”
And we get all agitated and up in arms, and we second we do, it’s like we've momentarily severed the umbilical cord to the thing that feeds us creative juice; that which allows us the creative answers, the wisdom to solve or supersede or get to the other side of an unexpected moment that initially could have discombobulated us.
But if we calm down and get clear—it doesn't mean we can't be running from the tiger—but if our mind is calm and in the present moment, not in fear, we can find solutions. So to my point, being still is not the same as sitting still. And I would actually suggest that we start to hone our skills for how to be in the world active in motion, and also be still in our mind.
That's where the really magical formula is. Not that life's about formulas; I don't think there are formulas. But if you look at that combination, stillness, peace of mind in an active moving body, that's where it all happens. And again, use Mahomes as an example. You can tell when he gets off kilter things don't go well for him and the team.
And when he is, more often than not, maintaining a cool, calm, collected attitude. He works miracles on that field. That has to do, yes, with his talent for sure, but also with how he's using his. You cannot see peripherally as he does without a calm and clear mind that embraces the present moment. Speaking of great athletes and people who appear to be steps ahead of everyone else are actually people who are very good about being in the moment; the moment of NOW.
I'm going to take this time to say, “Way to go, Chiefs, for making the top seed of the AFC, despite, at times, not playing your best against really poor teams.
And I, as with most everyone in the recent week, have been avidly praying, and I celebrate the recovery of Damar Hamlin, and I don't care what you think of the NFL, be it fair or unfair, be it you see the game of football in general as barbaric or nonsensical, whatever it is. There are so many beautiful life lessons and moments to embrace from this tragic moment when we almost lost him, as there are situations in life everywhere if we choose to see them.
So today's takeaway: ‘Be still’ does not mean sit still.
Get out there and move and explore and engage with a world that wants to teach you things, wants to show you fun stuff.
All the answers you're looking for are definitely inside of you. Go there! But that doesn't mean you can't take a little walk or have a moment to move your body while listening to a great piece of music plays. It just might bring forth or jar something from the recesses of your brain, something creative and recalibrating for you.
Be still in your mind and get out there and be active in motion.
They are not exclusive of each other. They're actually an amazingly powerful combination.
Okay, see you tomorrow.