Be Quiet

I had a great conversation the other day with CrossFit legend Pat Barber on the Up Before You Podcast. Pat's got a really great story and the conversation was a whole lot of fun.

But it was something he told me towards the end of the episode that really stuck with me.

It was something along the lines of the damage that was done as a result of him being "plugged-in" all the time. Whether that be on his computer doing work, on his phone, watching tv, or even listening to a podcast. Bottom line is that he was always doing something along those lines. And he told me it really started weighing on him to the point where he started feeling depressed.

What he told me next really got me thinking.

He started talking about the importance of being alone with nothing but your thoughts. So I started thinking, how often do we do that?

The answer, not nearly enough.

How often(besides when you're sleeping) do you really unplug? How often do you not have a screen in front of you, a phone in your hand, or headphones in your ears? How often do you slow down and take time for yourself? And I don't mean time for yourself to chill out and watch a movie or play on your phone, no. I mean how often do you get away from everything going on in the world and the stresses of daily life and just be still with nothing but your thoughts?

Really think about that and honestly answer those questions.

We live in such an external world today where people constantly having to be doing something or seeking something outside of themselves. It seems that all we do is chase more, more, more in order to solve our problems. Yet, what I've started to learn over the years is that the answers oftentimes lie within ourselves. We don't need to watch a movie to get inspired. We need to sit alone with no distractions and think about what internally inspires us. Because in all honesty, external motivation is crap. That shit comes and goes. But when you find something inside of you that really drives you that's when you know that you've found the answer. Everybody is so quick to drown out the noise with more noise.

More, more, more.

What do most people do when they're stressed? Distract themselves with either their phone or the TV or music in their ears. Why not try and turn everything off instead? Why not sit in a silent room with nothing but your thoughts and listen to what your empty mind has to say?

Think about that.

If you're always turning up the volume in your own life will you ever actually quiet things down and allow yourself to think and sort out your problems? Of course not. Think about if you were having a conversation with someone and there was a speaker behind you that kept getting turned up louder and louder every minute. How productive do you think that conversation would be? Spoiler alert: NOT PRODUCTIVE.

Set aside time for yourself with no screens, noise, or distractions. Just sit in a quiet room and think. Heck, bring a notebook and pen and write down all of the thoughts that cross your mind. Then, evaluate those and see what you're giving the most attention to in your life. You will be surprised at how much you learn about yourself by sitting quietly with nothing your thoughts.

Now, there's only one thing left to do......SHUT UP AND LISTEN!

Get After It.

Up Before You.