The Space between your Thoughts
Thoughts can feel incessant. An endless noise that’s always there, or the feeling of continuously jumping from one thought to the next.
The continual stream of thoughts can be exhausting, or even overwhelming.
The good news is that it’s possible to create a space between your thoughts. For me, that space is often a place of peace, where I can step back from the demands of life, whether that’s a difficult situation with one of the kids, or a challenge I’m facing at work.
This space is where present leaders can do their best work from, and although it’s not always easy to find this gap between your thoughts, it’s definitely possible with practice.
If it feels impossible to start with, that’s the mind throwing more challenging thoughts your way. The mind likes to have lots of thoughts going, it feels like that’s its job - as if more thoughts are always the answer. But a stream of continual thoughts isn’t the only way to be - there is another way.
The first step to finding a gap between your thoughts is to observe one single thought.
Here’s one way you can try:
Close your eyes, and just wait for the next thought that comes along. You might be waiting for a little while, or one may come along quickly. Be patient with yourself. When a thought appears, just observe it. Notice that you are having that thought.
Once you observe a thought, you may find that it drifts off, or is replaced very quickly with another thought popping up straight away. If it does, then observe that new thought, and notice that it’s there.
You may find that it takes a while for a thought to even appear, which is common when your intention is to view the next one. Conversely, as soon as you realise you’re having a thought, another comes along immediately.
That’s ok too.
You’re not trying to stop your thoughts, you’re just noticing them. That’s the first step in being able to let them go, which is especially useful for those unhelpful thoughts.
We’ll be looking at how to let thoughts go in an upcoming blog, by using techniques based on thousands of evidence based studies (subscribe here so you don’t miss out).
Once you’ve noticed a thought, you’ll be a step closer to being aware of the space between your thoughts. This can be a very peaceful place, and one where you can step back from the challenges of life and become more considered, and focused. This is one of the most helpful techniques to becoming a leader who operates from a state of presence.