Quiet, please

In a few hours, I embark on day 2 of this week's experiment in applying yogic austerities at work. To peace of mind and gentleness, I add the discipline of silence.

It's helpful for me to spend this time in the morning, before heading to the office, remembering the point of this exercise for me. The degree to which I can apply these disciplines, the seriousness and devotion of my focus, are in direct relationship to the fruit these disciplines will bear. As Laura asked (and the question still echoes for me, daily), "how bad do you want awakening?" Because however bad you want it, that's how hard you need to work it, how consistently, how everywhere.

Let's be honest: I want awakening bad. And I know it's up to me. If I want, I can keep postponing the moment, by leaving the work in the future. Or I can do what I'm doing now, making it the central focus of each day.

So here I go, taking some silence to the office with me.

Mauna, this silence, is about choosing not only my words with deliberation, but also the frequency of my speech. It's about slowing response time, not adding more noise to an already noisy-landscape, instead choosing words that build harmony. For me specifically, it's about minding my snark, my punning, my barbs. I love to play with words, so this will be an interesting experiment in quieting that impulse. And at my job, which is communicative to the point of exhaustion, it's going to be super-interesting to haul myself out of the coursing chatty whitewater, stand on the bank and watch.

Shhhh.