When's the last time you did absolutely nothing?

I don't mean "nothing" in the sense that it wasn't exciting:

Not as in , "Oh I sat around Saturday night and did nothing."

I mean "nothing" in the way that involves no commitments, no expectations, no television, no  text messaging, no checking email...the list goes on.

My "nothing" time came  this past weekend when my body had just had enough.... too much everything and it shut down.

It took me getting to that point to realize that my soul and my energy was talking back to me and I didn't like what it was saying.

What I heard was, "you're not taking care of me, and you're pushing the limits."

I was too weak to exercise, to weak to read, even eat..so I did nothing.

Sitting in the dark, in complete solitude for several hours is unlike anything I've ever experienced.

What I learned in a matter of minutes was that sometimes we pack our schedules with so many things, we forget to nurture our spirit.

Our spirit is the energy that keeps us going.

What happens when it runs out of gas?

So there I was, on a full afternoon, doing nothing but lying in the stillness of my being.

It truly was a big deal and in a weird way, it was nice.

I live a fast life.

There is always somewhere to go, somewhere to be, someone to please.

But not on this day.

Doing "something" all the time, I'm learning, is highly overrated.

I blame the pace of the society we live in.

It puts pressure on us to be active constantly.

If we don't show up for any particular thing, we're programmed to  think that somehow we're missing out on the latest party, mixer, grand opening, happy hour....whatever.

How necessary is it all..... really?

Sometimes our most productive thoughts can come from the quiet in own space.

My experience definitely rejuvenated me and gave me a new perspective on my life,  what I'm doing, and where I'm going.

Sure it was hard at first...for me, slowing down is abnormal.

So here's my challenge to you, and let me know if you take it:

Make a pledge to yourself that one day this week...

you'll do absolutely nothing.

I promise you, you'll enjoy every minute of it.