Do nothing.

In our family, we have pizza and movie night once per week - usually Sundays. We don’t have the TV on very often, but we break the rules every once in a while. One of the TV shows that both of my sons really enjoy is called Stillwater. It is a story about three kids who run into all of life’s challenges, and then consult a giant, wise, meditating panda bear who lives in their backyard.

Stay with me here. It gets pretty good!

During one of the episodes, the youngest of those three children, Karl, was having a hard time deciding what to do. He went through all of his options, growing more and more frustrated as he went. Until he decided he needed help. As he sat down with the big panda bear, Stillwater told him a story:

There was once a baby manatee that was looking for a treasure. The baby manatee began searching so frantically for that treasure that it stirred up mud off the bottom of the water and things became too hard to see. The only thing the manatee could do was stop and do nothing, then wait for the mud to settle down. When the manatee did nothing, the water cleared out, it could see clearly, and it found the treasure.

It didn’t hit me at first, but I have recently noticed, when my mind is spinning and I am having a hard time seeing my answer - I channel this story of the manatee, stop long enough for things to settle, and I can usually make a more clear decision. Using this practice doesn’t guarantee the best outcomes, but I generally have better direction afterwards. Give it a try! And watch Stillwater. It is full of gems.