How much time do you spend thinking?

I heard this the other day, and it got me thinking! Have you ever asked yourself this? Do you ever spend time thinking? Or do you always fill any idle time with your phone? Or watching TV? Or both at the same time? 

What does it mean to just sit and think? Maybe you've never done this and the concept seems foreign. Maybe you have done it and didn't like it. 

The act of just spending time thinking is quiet, alone time with you and your thoughts. A chance for your inner dialogue to be heard. For your inner desires to be heard. For dreams to emerge. It might feel uncomfortable. It might be scary. But, I promise, it won't hurt you, harm you, or kill you. It will actually help you. 

This time can be very therapeutic, very transformational. You might learn new things about yourself. You might hear desires that have been stifled. You might find yourself getting to know yourself again. You might feel like you don't know yourself at all. 

How much time could you find to dedicate to just thinking? Look at your calendar, could you find just 15 minutes a day to just spend thinking? Alone in your car, just thinking. 

You might find you are drawn to grab your phone and you can't focus your thoughts on anything other than how badly you want to grab your phone. You are noticing your thoughts and desires to grab your phone, that's the purpose of the exercise!! Notice it and allow yourself to feel the discomfort. The draw, the yearning. And sit through it until it passes. 

Each time you might find a new desire that comes up. A new yearning from within that you hadn't noticed before. This is how you connect with your true self. How you reconnect with yourself.

Our cell phones have created a constant environment of distraction. We have something to occupy our minds in any given moment. Even when we have something else we are supposed to be doing... working, cooking supper, having lunch with a friend. How many of these times are you also on your phone? The habit of filling the idle time with our phones has spilled over into times when we actually have other things to be focused on, but we are focused on our phones instead. 

This might be a very challenging habit to break. Allowing the idle time. Reconnecting with ourselves. Listening to our inner dialogue. Hearing our dreams and aspirations. Allowing the feelings that come with these thoughts. 

I challenge you to honestly answer the question: How much time do you spend thinking? And also ask How much time WILL I dedicate to spend thinking? It won't just happen. You will have to be diligent with the intention. You will have to decide and follow through. Look at your schedule, carve out the time. Set the intention. 

Be prepared for discomfort. Be prepared to feel like you don't know if you're doing it right. Be prepared to be inspired by yourself. Be prepared to look forward to it the next time. It will come, with practice. 

As always, if anything comes up that you want to discuss or have questions about, just reply to this email. I'd also love to hear how this goes and any takeaways your discover. 

You are an amazing person. You should get to know her better. 

How much time do you spend thinking? How much time will you intentionally spend thinking? 

Until Next Week...enjoy your week thinking!