Busyness and action are the bywords of our current lives. There is no room for space/emptiness/quietness/nothingness. These seem to be the enemy that no one is prepared to succumb to, so we fight it off by always being on the go, most of it in the name of productivity.

I only have to look at my kids to see that as teenagers they are already in the cycle of perpetual motion, filling every waking hour with video games, TV, chatting with friends on the phone or the constant flow of BBMs etc.

And yet what exists most in this universe is ‘space’. Every atom that is the building block of you and everything else consists of 99.9999999999999% (that’s 13 nines after the decimal point) empty space.

Our resistance to space (also known as stillness, quietness, emptiness) truly is one of the final frontiers to better leadership.

Leaders need to find and spend time in ‘space’. They need to do this for the following reasons:

• Quantum leaps. Logic can be restrictive, providing only small incremental steps forward. Quietness is the breeding ground of new radical thinking and ideas.
• Differentiation. Because this is what separates the leader from the ordinary person. If you wish to be different you must do different things.
• Deep and genuine rest. This is not just the physical rest that comes with sleep; it’s the emotional, mental and spiritual rest that is critical to a powerful leader.
• New thinking. If you do not create the space for new thinking to appear in then its remains hidden. The wealth of knowledge you possess in the subconscious with remain stuck behind the more controlling conscious mind.
• Renewal. Fresh perspectives and new thinking are found on the other side of silence as well as new fresh energy.
• Creativity. Exciting and workable solutions exist to all of your problems if only you would allow them the space to appear. The enemy of access to this powerful space is YOU. This is what you need to be aware of to overcome the traditional traps of blind busyness.
• Fear. It is very uncomfortable when we stop doing and connect with stillness. All of our upbringing and education has taught us that productivity is king and the only way to achieve it is by being busy. You must overcome or push through that discomfort.
• People Pressure. Because the connection between activity and productivity to so strong in the work place you will come under great external pressure if you suddenly stop and seek a quiet/still space, while sitting in the public work environment. Chose you moments wisely! Here is how to begin your relationship with space and to see its untapped source of knowledge to you.
• Find a quiet space at home without possible interruption for at least 45mins.
• Find a comfortable chair to relax in.
• Write down on some paper a question to which you need an answer that currently eludes you.
• Once sitting, relax and let go of your thoughts of the day. Breath deeply in the beginning as you feel you muscles relax and soften.
• Stay awake and conscious by focusing on the airflow through your nose and mouth. Consistently let go of any thoughts that appear during this time.
• After about 30minutes rouse yourself and write down the thoughts that appear to you at this point.
• Repeat as often as possible.