Reflections on being sick for 3+ weeks

I know I’m far from the only person who has been hit by the illness. I’m happy to say that this week I’m finally feeling like I’m healthy again, with normal energy levels and all! (Please, folks, no health advice. I’m well cared-for and resourced.)

I’m coming back to the realization that:

— There are several important emails in my inbox that I need to reply to this week.
— I totally dropped the ball on someone, and they are asking for a refund.
— My schedule is more full than usual, as I schedule people I had to cancel on previously.

It’s moments like these where things that are easy to say, but harder to do are put to the test. I’m constantly encouraging our clients and community members to be gentle to themselves, to not try to “make up” for so-called “lost time.”

I’ve been at this being self-employed/running a small business since 1999, and after 23 years I want to tell you that it’s so much easier, actually, to live into those exact words.

From a certain Divine perspective, what happened was always going to happen, I just didn’t know it. The time spent sick wasn’t “lost” time, it was time that was always going to be spent that way, I just didn’t learn that until the day/week of.

It doesn’t have to be challenging to just embrace the truth: I was sick. Maybe you were sick, or are sick. And that’s just how it is.

I wonder if you can do a little energy experiment with me, especially if you are maybe sick or tired, or worn down at the moment.

Take a moment and bring up the resistance you have to feeling how you’re feeling. That you don’t want to feel tired, or sick, or worn down. Gather up all your upset, and have that live in your body.

How does that feel?

Now, if you’re willing, see if you can embrace exactly how you’re feeling. Sick, worn down, tired. And even embrace not wanting to feel that way, but not being in active resistance to how you feel.

This may take some breaths. What do you notice when you do?

Final step. Remember the presence of the Divine. In Sufism, we have a practice called Remembrance. You can try this 9 minute practice here.

What do you notice?

What I noticed, personally, is that I spend WAY less energy, have way less struggle, when I can surrender to the truth of how things are.

When I’m not trying to make up for so-called lost time, and instead just move forward with my life and business, then I’m not creating a nightmare schedule for myself.

Okay, sure, I do put in a little extra effort answering more emails, scanning through to catch important ones. I do spend a little more time in the email explaining what happened.

But instead of being stressed out, exhausted, and maybe relapsing into my illness, or just having an unpleasant week, I work a normal week, and have handled the things I need to handle by early next week.

The only thing I have to do in order to have that pleasant week, instead of a nightmare one? Be willing to face the potential discomfort of allowing people to wait a little longer to hear from me.

After 23 years of being self-employed, I’ve learned that there are plenty of times I’m going to get sick, or someone in the family is going to get sick, or something else will happen that will take my attention away. That thing that happens was ALWAYS GOING TO HAPPEN.

Please, be kind to yourself. Please allow yourself to embrace the truth of what’s happening in your life.

Staring back over 53 years of my life, it’s gone quickly so far. I’m not intending to live the rest of the time I have rushing to try to “catch up” in a mythical race.

The most important pieces here:

1. Kindness.
2. Surrender to what is, and remembering the Divine/Mystery/Oneness/Source of Love.
3. Allowing time for recovery, not attempting to instantly be back to how it was.
4. Choosing the most important, and allowing other things to wait, or get dropped.
5. Kindness.

How does that feel in your heart?

With love,
Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.

Virtual Retreat in 9 days: choosing love.

I didn’t mean to imply with that that if you chose love, you would sign up for our retreat, because that’s ridiculous. You can choose love always, regardless of any other choices.

However, I did want you to feel invited to join me and other retreatants for the upcoming Virtual Retreat, February 25.

We can always choose love, and having the support of a group can make it so much easier to take the time to actually immerse in love. Especially in the context of your business.

If you had a whole day, or even just part of that day, to go deep into your own heart, and the heart of your business, with the support of the group, and me as a teacher… what would you see? What would get cleared out? What insights would drop in, and decisions could be made?

How would you feel afterward?

“As with most of the Virtual Retreats I’ve attended, I am surprisingly moved by the chanting call mid-day. And as always moved by the personal coaching conversations. Even more so this time. Beyond the vulnerability and depth of sharing, your responses create an amazing openness. There’s usually some level of surprise and delight. It could be the content and approach of your response. Or the thoughtful, heartfelt integration of something I thought I understood. And then there’s the integration of spiritual, practical, social justice, emotional, all held in love.

“After the retreat, I felt clearer and more grounded. It felt like my spiritual palette was clearer, and more Divine resonance was available.”

— past retreat participant

These retreats are surprisingly effective, priced at pay from the heart, and require no travel.

Join us?
February 25 Virtual Retreat information and registration