Dear Steve Harvey,
I eagerly read your last email. You see, I know you are a man who doesn’t take communicating with others lightly. Your verbal and written delivery is always well thought out and well timed. Like most of us, your emails reflect your thoughts. This time your thoughts turn to time out – to meditation (listening to God or the universe) or prayer (speaking to God or the universe).
From everything I’ve learned about you, you are a man with a creative and agile mind. That is evident from the variety of shows you are involved in and the books you have written. You are not afraid to put yourself “out there.” You don’t shirk from admitting and even laughing at your mistakes.
In many ways, you are my doppelgänger. Here are the qualities I see in you, qualities I try to incorporate in my life:
- You are consistent. Regardless of you arena – writing a book, hosting a talk show or a game show – you don’t waiver from what needs to be accomplished at the highest possible level of showmanship.
- Your authentic self shows through across all platforms.
- You amass wealth and you generously share your gains through funding, mentorships, and opportunities for others to benefit from your resourcefulness.
- You are obviously driven and focused on the goals.
But wait, this last communication from you has taken a little different tone. You are advocating taking time out. You are telling me that relentless drive could take a toll – could affect health and future productivity. And I heard you! We should all take the time to stop, be still and DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Hey, I understand the messages have usually been about taking action and now you want the opposite, but I get it, because study after study has shown that you must take time out. They have shown that meditation is the best form of time out. In fact statistics have shown that those who meditate have 87 percent fewer heart related hospitalizations, 55 percent have fewer benign or malignant tumors, and 30 percent fewer infectious diseases. Meditation has also been shown to help chronically depressed patients.
What does that mean for you and me? Quite simply it means that you and I should find ways to spend quality time with ourselves. Here a few ways to do that:
- Create a meditation/prayer room.
- Get up at least 1/2 hour earlier. Schedule and immerse yourself in mediation/prayer daily.
- Choose a pleasant setting in nature to visit regularly – the park, the beach, a stream, on a boat – meditate there.
- Lock technology out – that energy has no place in your meditation.
- Keep pen and paper handy; as thoughts arise, write them down.
- Set a timer until the time you devote to meditation becomes a part of you.
- Don’t hesitate to take time out at other times during the day when your mental energy becomes overloaded or is lagging. Meditation has actually proven to be better than a nap.
I get it and I know you approve. Like you, I want to get the most out of life and I want to give as much and share as much as I can. However. Steve, l’m with you. I have come to recognize that even a well-oiled machine must stop for refueling. Meditation is our refueling stop.
If you need help finding ways to meditate or finding ways to be in prayer, contact me at your convenience. I am here to put you in touch with all that you can be. Sometimes that means stopping and doing nothing.
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Photo: Getty Images
Excellent article Dr. Sims