“The notes I handle no better than many pianists.  But the pauses between the notes – ah, that is where the art resides.”  Artur Schnabel

Is your life like the lives of most of us, so full of responsibilities and demands on your time that you are constantly in motion with no time for quiet, reflective time?  I can remember when I was raising my children and working, I never stopped until it was time to drop into bed, so exhausted that I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow.

“Harmony is the inner cadence of contentment we feel when the melody of life is in tune.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

So how do we find the harmony that Sarah is talking about?  How do you find time to pause?  The gratitude journal is a good starting point.  It takes but a minute to jot down the five things you are grateful for each night.  How do you get to the next level beyond that, where you actually have time for reflection to decide where you want to steer your life’s course?

“Usually, when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, the first thing we eliminate is the thing we need the most:  quiet, reflective time.”  SBB

I am so happy to be reading this right now.   Building my new real estate business, there have been more 14-hour days than not, and rarely has there been a day, weekends included, that I did not work.  I have been telling myself this is what you do when you are building a business and when you are passionate about something, and I do believe that, but unfortunately I have not been allowing myself any time for feeding my soul.  I can’t remember the last time I was in my studio or read a book not related to my business (other than Sarah’s book of course!).  I am okay with working really hard to be successful in my business and take good care of my clients, but I also know that if I don’t take care of me, in the end everyone loses.

“Above all, we must learn how to pause.”  SBB

This reminds me that even in the midst of my hectic days, I can have pauses between the notes.  I can turn off the radio while driving to meetings to find some time for reflection.  I can be more present when performing household tasks, feeding my spirit while completing them.  And I can allow myself a couple of evenings a week when I turn the business off and enjoy my loved ones and everything that surrounds me, so many blessings.

Share with us what is working for you to find your inner harmony, or post your challenges so that we can offer our help.

Shalom!