Friday’s Frequencies #11: Quiet Power

 “Silence is a source of great strength” By Lao Tzu

Put this in the context of almost any discussion or argument. When you plant seeds of ideas you need to let them grow. Let the person in front of you ask questions and reflect them back at them with “what do you think?”. Gently guide them to their understanding with other questions if needed. Always listen a lot more than you talk. They will convince themselves of the answer you helped guide them to. If you are always talking and giving the answer, you are in a position where you are trying to convince them of something they may not have fully agreed to or understood before. In conversation, the person who chooses silence is the person with power. If that’s what you desire.

Personal silence, or peace of mind brings clarity and allows you to make better decisions. Whenever you are feeling emotional about something, the first step any coach will tell you is to work on quieting your mind. Then you can listen to the inner voice of reason, instead of the crazy voices of fear and other emotions. 

In Susan Cain’s book, “Quiet”, she beautifully illustrates the power of introverts, or The quiet, as she calls them. They are always listening and learning. In the business world, they are a great asset to any team for the smart manager who understands how to work with them. They are usually able to embrace big picture and more globally beneficial solutions, because they hear different perspectives and not just their own voice. I used to hear many of my friends parents say: Pay attention to the quiet ones, they are always thinking. I took that to be a good thing. 

So, first quiet your mind. What do you hear?