Living the Quiet Life

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When I started simplifying my life eight years ago, I remember that my life is much busier.

I would say yes to everything and go to a lot of social things and drive around to do an incredible amount of things, running everywhere I went. By crazy it can get a little crazy.

These days, I know many people who make an incredible amount of socializing online rather than in person - chatting and sending messages and flips and post photos and status updates. While I understand the need for social connection, I also recognize the dependence of all this, to the point where you do not calm.

The silent space is very important to me these days. I like my quiet mornings where you can drink tea, meditate, writes that the day when the light grows and the children sleep. I like quiet long walks and runs, so I can try my ideas, my thoughts are given a space to reflect on my life.

The quiet space, let me borrow my writings, but also all the improvements I've made in my life: a healthy diet, exercise habits, meditation, ordering, procrastinate less, etc. Because of quiet space allows me to be more aware of my actions, giving me time to think whether what I do is how I live my life.

So while still socializing, I live a quieter life now. I have my quiet morning meditation, tea and writing, but also my best races, some time drinking tea or work with a friend, some time alone with my wife, play with my children, and only a few times with a good novel .

Every minute is quiet? No, the children make sure that I have a little noise in my life, and I'm grateful for that, but the calm is in how to react to noise. A calm response is the one that absorbs the force of sound, with compassion, not replace with the same force.

Today, I want a quiet life in you.

Some ideas of living the quiet life:

• Create a space in the quiet morning.
• Meditate for 2 minutes per day (to start). Just sit back and put your attention on the breath, back when your thoughts distract you.
• When you feel the need to socialize online, take a break. Give yourself some peace instead.
• When you feel the urge to automatically say yes to an invitation, do not say however, unless it is something that will really enrich your life.
• Do not take the music on a run or walk. Instead, give yourself the space with your thoughts.
• When someone talks to you, rather than jump to something from you, just listen. Absorb. Consider their thoughts to themselves. Appreciate its beauty.
• Take the time to the people closest to you. One-on-one is the best. Really pay attention to them.
• Take the time to create, without distractions.
• Spend time ordering and create a quiet space.
• Create a space between your automatic reaction and actions (or words). Even a second is sufficient. In this space, if your answer is right.
• Instead of running, breathe deeply and slowly.
• Pay attention to the feelings of what you are eating, drinking, doing.
• Have a daily reflection time.
• You do not have to do all this, and certainly not all at once. A slowly progressive, happy is the best.

In the quiet space that is created in this world of noise and haste and distraction, is a new world of reflection, tranquility and beauty. It is a world of its own, and worth living.

Customised from:  http://zenhabits.net