One of the ezines I subscribed for about three years comes from PerfectCustomers. If you’re in sales or not, they offer a valuable strategy if you need space as an introvert or extrovert. One particular daily attraction tip struck a chord for my introversion preference. My “music” is – purposeful breaks of various types throughout the day. I believe it helps me to both function better and know who I truly am; play my music.
What is your space between the notes? Your music?
- “Music occurs in the space between the notes.”
Valuable Strategy if You Need Space for Introverts and Extroverts
The article stated, “If all that existed was note after note after note, then we could not hear the music. It’s the contrast of the space between the notes that allows those notes to be heard in all their beauty and glory.”
If you wrote the ‘sheet music’ of your day, what would it look like? Here’s what PerfectCustomers describe which might be many of our default sheet music:
“A phone call, meeting, beating project deadline, another phone call, two phone calls coming in at the same time, copier jam, phone call, meeting, computer glitch, meeting — it’s almost painful just to read that. Imagine what living it is doing to our ‘musical’ instrument of life!“
It is exhausting reading that list.
Then maybe you do, like I did, factor in many of my personal activities like — handle elderly parent health decisions, plan for air and hotel travel, queue up bill payments for the month.
This is reason also to have a valuable strategy if you need space whether introvert or extrovert.
PerfectCustomers goes on to ask “What if we scheduled our day to include allowing and appreciating space between each of these experiences- or even within these experiences? It doesn’t have to be much space — just a few quiet moments to enjoy the contrast of silence within your activity.”
I love that suggestion, “just a few quiet moments.” What this means to me is whether I choose pray, gratitude or meditation, I am getting the physical and emotional benefits from those quieter moments.
Having just returned from a weekend-long meditation retreat by davidji, my awareness is on how beneficial mindful meditation is to help me more easily get in between the tens of thousands of thoughts that run through my head every day. Whether taking 30 minutes, 20 minutes or 16 seconds (yes, 16 seconds) just to find some quiet head time, helps me function better whatever the task.
[Tweet “Meditation clears my introvert mind to hear the music in a noisy day.”]
Meditation clears my introvert mind to hear the music in a noisy day.
Is that an introvert mantra or what? On the days that I don’t get those quiet moments in it can feel – painful, as PerfectCustomers says.
Resilience is part of my 2016 mantra. When losing focus, or energy, now I take just 16 seconds to breathe and silently to myself repeat my mantra. The amazing thing is that this works.
How do you practice this space between the notes throughout the day?
What is your Valuable Strategy if You Need Space, for Introverts and Extroverts?
Edited version of original post from February 25, 2009.
Judith says
I am just becoming aware of my true introverted nature, though I intuitively knew it all along.
My moments are first thing in the morning, before everyone wakes up. Even when my oldest wakes up, being an Aspie, he is usually quietly going about his routine. I take those moments (literally get up around 5:30am-9:00am) to enjoy the peaceful pursuit of catching up on Twitter, FB and Google Reader, and pondering the peace of it all.
Then at night, again, after everyone is gone to bed, I linger for the quietness of a still house.
These are my only moments, unless you count the times I am in the bathroom just standing behind a closed door! Did I admit that? LOL!! Yes, that little room is my sanctuary sometimes.