Why do I keep going into the doing mode? Moving from one task to another with hardly a break. Or when I’ve nothing urgent on, looking for something to do — check emails, or the news (again).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deep down, I must unconsciously believe that I will, in one way or another, feel better for getting things done. Or maybe there’s a fear of missing out on something that could make me feel better. Beneath this is the implicit assumption that I wouldn’t feel good doing nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But is that true? More of a habit rather than a successful strategy? When I do pause, and do nothing for a moment, I usually notice a sense of relief, relaxation, and less\u00a0tension. There is, in fact, a greater sense of ease. Ironically, I am getting the ultimate goal of all that doin — a better state of mind — without actually having to do anything. In addition, I am getting it now, rather than as some future possibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naturally, I’d like to taste more of this. So I like to pause between tasks. Take a breath (or two), relax, and enjoy how that feels. Then notice what thoughts may be running through my mind. And simply choose not to follow them anymore — for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I withdraw my interest from the thoughts, and instead become interested in how it feels to step back from thinking for a moment. Often there’s a lightness of being, and a sense of inner quiet and stillness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Usually there are fainter thoughts there, in the background — maybe thoughts about the experience, what it’s like, how I am doing. Letting my attention relax, I step back from them, too. And enjoy how it actually feels to pause. To savor the inner quiet and stillness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then recognize that, whatever I am experiencing, I am the one that is experiencing it. I become aware that I am aware. Not an idea about being aware; but the direct experience of I am aware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here, nothing needs be done, nothing needs to change. The world still goes on, but now I am a witness to its presence, rather than engaged in doing something about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I rest in this simple quality of Being, the more the present reveals itself. I see the world with fresh eyes, the scenery, the sounds around, the feelings in my body. There’s an inner openness and freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Needless to say, it is not long before some thought arises leading me back into doing. But the memory of how it feels to pause remains, and becomes a motivation to return. The more I do, the more the familiarity with the delight of just being grows. The more life becomes less of do-do-do, and more an alternation of do-be-do-be-do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Why do I keep going into the doing mode? Moving from one task to another with hardly a break. Or when I’ve nothing urgent on, looking for something to do — check emails, or the news (again). Deep down, I must unconsciously believe that I will, in one way or another, feel better for getting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peterrussell.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peterrussell.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peterrussell.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peterrussell.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peterrussell.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=441"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.peterrussell.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":454,"href":"https:\/\/www.peterrussell.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441\/revisions\/454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peterrussell.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peterrussell.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peterrussell.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}