Stillness isn’t silence—it’s how we move next
There’s a difference between finding stillness and living from it.
For many of us, the pause comes first – a breath in the middle of a storm, a moment when the body or spirit says, enough. Stillness becomes a refuge. A reset. A necessary exhale.
But what happens after the pause?
What does it mean to carry that stillness with us – into the busy day, the difficult conversation, the next big decision?
I recently attended a gathering for entrepreneurs led by a trusted peer in the coaching space. Early in the session, we were invited into open space – a moment to speak if we felt called to do so or simply rest in silence if that’s what was needed.
And then . . . we paused.
There was silence.
It couldn’t have been more than 30 seconds, but it felt like five minutes. My inner dialogue lit up. The stillness was loud. It brought me right back to my corporate days, when silence was rarely allowed – when every blank space needed to be filled, fast.
Old patterns can run deep.
I felt the familiar urge rise: Say something. You have so much to share. Don’t waste the space.
But in that moment, I didn’t react.
I observed.
I observed my discomfort with the silence.
I observed my need to be heard.
I observed my ego sorting through potential “wise things” to say.
And then – I let it all be.
Instead of speaking, I listened. I became a witness. I didn’t feel attached to sharing – and that, in itself, felt liberating. I had nothing to prove. I wasn’t there to perform. And something beautiful happened: I began to fully receive the wisdom of others. I felt the weaving of what was being shared as a group. The collective insight, the rhythm, the quiet brilliance that only surfaces when space is allowed to stay open.
Eventually, I offered something honest. But not until the very end – when my heart told me it was time.
Not to impress, not to be heard. Just to be vulnerable.
That’s the difference, I think.
Living from stillness isn’t about silence – it’s about space.
Space in the body, in the moment, in the way we respond.
Space to choose presence instead of programming.
Space to let the heart speak when it’s ready.
Living from stillness becomes less about pausing – and more about how we move when we begin again.
What becomes possible when you allow stillness to lead the way?
Curious about how to build stillness into your day—even when life feels full?
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