Oprah called it “quiet time.” And she attributes her success to it.
Good thing is, it’s available to your kid, too.
Quiet Time. A byproduct of growing up in rural Mississippi in the mid-to-late 50s with a working single grandmother. It wasn’t scheduled or mandated mindfulness. There was a lot of time to herself. Quiet time just was what it was.
In 2011 Oprah met Sheryl Sandberg at Facebook. The topic: meditation.
She spoke of that time, and how it has impacted her life:
OPRAH
“…having grown up in rural Mississippi, alone with my grandmother, I had a lot of quiet time. I had a lot of time to touch the stillness inside me. And the truth is, that’s where God lives. God lives in the space of stillness. Whatever you chose to call God, or not call God. It doesn’t matter whether you chose to call it or not, that stillness is always there, that awareness space.
…where you live, where the capital You resides, is not in the thoughts, but in the awareness, in that space. So I have lived in that space, of awareness for myself, for a very long time. I can’t even remember…
You know, all of us has that space where you’re willing to get still, because the world will try to tell you everything about yourself, and…we have so many voices, in our heads and on our Facebook pages telling us everything. But, to know, really, what to do and how to be guided in your life, you have to go to that still space where the bigger You, the greater You, resides. And I have it, and so does everybody else who’s listening to us right now.”
That “capital You” — it can be accessed in stillness.
But today “alone time” doesn’t guarantee “quiet time.”
We have the Internet, Instagram, streaming television, Slack, Zoom, Twitter and TikTok TikTalkin’ all day and all night long. Not to mention games, schoolwork, extracurriculars––it all makes sure that nobody has to have quiet time. As a matter of fact, it actively works against it. Sometimes quiet time feels like it’s under assault.
But it’s there, waiting. You may have to manufacture it. You definitely have to prioritize it.
Today’s learning video continues on with our children’s mindfulness series (and if you missed the first and second video and activity, they’re here waiting for you). This three-minute breathing activity is designed to help your child to connect to the breath, and connect with that space. Click the image below to watch now.
Because “quiet time” is where that personal greatness lies. That place of genuine authenticity. Where your child’s unique gifts, true potential, and the blueprint of how they are divinely designed to impact the world lives.
We all have the potential of personal greatness that Oprah, Stacey Abrams, Jane Fonda, and Jamie Kern Lima have tapped into. But are you giving yourself the gift of the time and space to access it. Are you giving your children that gift?
Oh, by the way, Oprah had another fun quote:
“I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier.”
So there are multiple benefits to quiet time. Wouldn’t you agree?
Thank you for watching!
I’ll see you in the next video. Until then, sending happy thoughts!
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