“Nothing to do, nowhere to go”
I first learned this a few years ago as a walking meditation in a “Meditation and Writing” class. It is based on the book of the same name, authored by the beloved Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hahn. I have practised it from time to time ever since, particularly when I feel rushed, unfocused or unclear.
In these times of great uncertainty, we have been forced into one part of the phrase: nowhere to go. Yet so used have we become to endless activity, that we feel we have a lots to do. The world has stopped, or at least slowed down significantly, yet we are busier than ever.
- What are we doing?
- Are we engaged in the same things we used to do when there was somewhere to go?
- Are these things still relevant?
- Should we be doing less? Or more? Or different?
- How do we know what to do, when we have no guide for this situation from the past?
Questions like these are important in helping us navigate through the swamp of the times. But how do we do answer them when our own minds are befuddled, our emotions are topsy-turvy and history gives us very few clues? We have to go within. I highly recommend a consistent early morning practice of stillness and reflection. Remember you have nowhere to go, so you now have that commute time available to you; and even if you still commute, chances are traffic is less, so your time is shorter.
For the next 7 days, set aside 20 minutes each morning to:
- Sit quietly, undisturbed, with your eyes closed, and meditate for 5 minutes on “Nothing to do; nowhere to go”;
- At the end of the 5 minutes, journal whatever comes to mind. Write freely with no judgement nor editing;
- Reflect for a few minutes on what had you have written and write down 3 things you will do today, and do them.
This may feel uncomfortable, even difficult at first. Please stick to it for the 7 days, so that you can work through the period of confusion and messiness. Remember: “In the change from being a caterpillar to a butterfly, you are nothing more than a yellow, gooey, sticky mess”. Just for a few minutes, embrace the messiness of having nothing to do, and nowhere to go.
I view this as a most important practice of one’s leadership – to quiet your own mind, and speak and act from a place of innate wisdom rather than from knowledge of things past. Your team is looking to you as their leader for answers, for guidance, for direction, for hope. You will be much better equipped to do this each day, if you spend just this precious 20 minutes with yourself.
