A recent LinkedIn post from my colleague and friend Mary Jane Copps (aka The Phone Lady) got me thinking. Her post was about allowing moments of silence in conversation and how this can deepen a relationship. She said “The relationship resides in the silence I allow within my conversations.”
Mary Jane got me thinking about pausing to daydream and think about nothing in particular. That these pauses could form part of a deeper relationship with ourselves. I think the pause is a form of inner listening. I’ve written about inner listening before and you can see my previous post here.
Also, pausing to daydream is an essential component of creativity, of getting unblocked. In my workshops I call this allowing space. If we keep ourselves so busy that we never have time to sit and think, or to really look around as we move through life, we are missing out on those moments of wonder.
Journaling prompt
One of the journaling prompts that I share in my workshops and in my two books is called What if? It is about taking time to write and dream wildly about marvellous possibilities. The second part of this exercise is to sketch and/or write about how your body would feel if this ‘What if’ came true. Connecting to the body feeling is a way of cultivating inner listening, of taking the time to pause and notice your body’s reactions.
How I can help
For more writing prompts to help you develop the practice of cultivating pause, listen, create, check out my One Loop at a Time books.
I can help you and your team reduce stress and create space for creativity and connection with my creative journaling sessions (virtual or in person).
Here is a testimonial from a recent client:
“Meryl’s session for our employees on journalling and sketching was so much more than that. It challenged us to break out of our restrictive thinking habits and gave practical tools for pushing further, all while sharing her beautiful artwork and deeply personal examples from her own life. Both a treat and a soul-opening experience.”
Janice MacInnis, Manager, Organizational Health, Dalhousie University
I can work with your team to create better engagement and design a vision for moving forward. This vision includes a hand hooked mat that is a permanent reminder of the priorities and vision for the workplace.
All of my work is fully customizable. I look forward to working with you when the time is right for me to work with you and your organization. Connect with me.
