Thoughts on Nothing: The Joy Diet – Week Two

The willingness to listen and act on your inspiration is imperative if you're going to live the life you desire.
(Wayne Dyer)

Before I finished reading this chapter, I assumed I knew the meaning of nothing.

On the first few pages I found Martha Beck’s words, “…doing just about anything is preferable to doing nothing,” and convinced myself that I was destined for defeat – doomed to a week of 15-minute sections of required silence.

This is the problem with assumptions.

Assuming I knew something about nothing, I forced myself into stillness for a 15-minute meditation in lotus pose. I thought a personal-development book would only prescribe this version of nothing.

After completing the chapter, I realized I have been craving the nothing Beck describes. My crazy day-to-day schedule often leaves me frazzled and yearning for a lot of nothing.

My 12 years as a competitive swimmer taught me wonderful lessons on time management, perseverance, tenacity and humility. It never occurred to me that the hours I spent in the pool provided me with the quiet and stillness of nothing.

A two-hour swim practice provides a lot of time to stare at the black line at the bottom of the pool. Mostly, you are left alone in your head. When Beck recommends we calm our bodies with mindless physical activity – something clicked. I once mastered my nothing. I had a lot of it.

I am no longer fortunate to have hours of nothing built into my daily routine. However, I do have an amazing community of friends in this blog and twitter universe. I have time, resources and books like The Joy Diet. I can set aside 15 minutes a day and make a little space for nothing.

I must confess that I did not complete the task for the entire week, but this realization is a step in the right direction – forward movement towards the life I desire and the woman I wish to be.

As I move into the next chapter of our journey, I will bring my nothing along and look forward to exploring truth with you next Friday.