Jack Gindi
How often do we seek success, peace, or validation, believing they will make us feel complete? How frequently do we rush past our stillness? What are we afraid might come up if we stop doing and simply allow ourselves to be? Have you ever met someone who can’t sit in silence? Maybe that someone is you…
I remember sitting in a hotel room once after a long day of meetings. I was mentally wiped out and physically restless, laying on the bed and staring at the ceiling in silence. For the first time in weeks, I stopped moving. A clear truth struck me in that quiet moment: “The present holds wisdom, and I haven’t been paying attention.I haven’t been listening.”
Most of us don’t spend much time just being. We’re hustling, planning, proving, fixing. Consider this: Who are we when we stop?
I’ve struggled with that question. Maybe you have, too. Stillness feels uncomfortable. It forces us to look at things we’d rather avoid, but avoidance doesn’t work either.
Some of the world’s most brilliant insights didn’t come from chaos – they came from quiet. Einstein imagined the theory of relativity during a daydream. Newton noticed gravity while sitting under a tree. These weren’t just accidents. They happened because people made room for something more profound to emerge.
If we’re always avoiding silence, we never hear the truth we need to hear. If we’re always chasing the next thing, we never see what’s already within us and in front of us.
So how do we return to simply being? Here are four powerful shifts that have helped me reconnect with what matters most:
Wake Up to the Present – The most sacred moments are often the smallest, like the breath before a big decision. The sound of someone you love laughing. The silence before dawn. You don’t need to change your entire life to be present – you just need to be where your feet are. Put down the phone. Look someone in the eye. Rub two fingers together and feel the ridge of your fingerprint. Take one deep breath and feel it. Awareness changes everything.
Create Space for Stillness – Stillness doesn’t mean doing nothing, it means making room to hear your own wisdom. Try five minutes a day with no phone, no music, and no tasks. Just sit. Breathe. Let the noise settle. Walk without headphones. Journal without an agenda. The insights you’ve been chasing might already be trying to reach you if only you’d pause long enough to hear them.
Be a Friend to Yourself – Let’s be honest: most of us are harder on ourselves than anyone else ever could be. But here’s the truth, self-compassion is strength, not weakness. You’re a work in progress, not a problem to solve. You can face your truth without beating yourself up. Growth doesn’t come from shame; it comes from kindness. Start by speaking to yourself like you’d talk to a dear friend on their worst day. What would change if you did?
Anchor to Your Purpose – What values ground you? What lights you up? When the world feels loud or uncertain, your purpose keeps you rooted and clear. It’s not always flashy. Your purpose can be as simple as showing up, listening, or choosing integrity, even when it’s hard.
These four shifts – presence, stillness, compassion, and purpose – aren’t a checklist. They’re a return. To yourself. To the treasure you already carry. To the version of you that isn’t waiting to be validated.
So here’s my challenge to you: Pick just one: A) Slow down for ten seconds. B) Sit still for five minutes. C) Say one kind thing to yourself. D) Name one thing that gives your life meaning.
Start where you are. Let that be enough.
Pause. Breathe. Listen.
Your inner wisdom is already speaking. Are you ready to hear it? Believe. Become. Be you.Jack Gindi helps families face life’s challenges with the I Believe in Me Foundation. Contact: jack@ibelieveinmefoundation.com.