We all receive silent messages. You may be aware of them or you may not. Paying attention to the silent messages in my life has made a tremendous positive difference. It has helped me to be more loving with my thoughts, my words, and my actions. I now continue to go with the natural flow of life more often. This is what I want for you.

These words were originally written in a journal as a gift for my daughter, Leanne, and dedicated to her and her two daughters Shayna and Brianna. Eventually, I felt guided to share with others these thoughts and feelings from my own personal experiences. As they have helped to guide me along my journey, it is my hope that there may be something of value in these words for you as well.

Silent Messages

By Dean Peiffer

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2010 Dean Peiffer
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-0024-9

Chapter One

Being receptive


It would likely seem obvious that the degree to which
we are receptive to the silent messages in our lives
would dictate the role they would play.
(whether major or minor)

I would suggest that our first course of action would be
to remove a lot of the "noise" in our lives.

(you can read more about my thoughts on this in
"moments of silence" section)

As you lessen the noise in your life, your awareness will
naturally increase as you seem to receive more silent
messages.

We should strive to be open-minded towards all silent
messages.

Sometimes, we see only what we want to see.
This can restrict our sight and keep us from seeing what
is "real".

As you work on being receptive,
try to be open to all possibilities.
Don't restrict yourself to only what you think they
should be.


Example:
If a truck cuts in front of you while you're driving, and
you respond by getting angry and beeping the horn -
while your focus is on the truck, in your frustration,
you may be missing the message on the bumper sticker
that just got put in front of your face.

Of course, one could become a bit obsessive and get
so caught up in this type of thinking ... and seemingly
find a "message" in everything.

Just relax ... be patient. They will come.

Your silent messages will be there.

As we become more aware and "receive" our messages,
we will need to decide what to do with those messages
... how we will react.

Maybe we won't like the messages. As always ... there
are choices.

We can choose to ignore them, and simply pretend
they didn't happen ... that they don't mean anything.

Or, we can accept them and act on them. Learning
from them, allowing our silent messages to guide us in
our lives and with our personal growth.

This will often take great courage ... discipline ...
consistent efforts ... trust ... patience ... and a "leap of
faith".

Example:

I have watched a baby bird
stand on the edge of his nest,
watching the other birds flying around.

He didn't seem to know if he could fly or not.

He would continue not to know until he decided to
take that leap of faith ...
to open his wings and jump.

Of course, it is his nature to fly. I knew he could do it
... that he would be fine.
But, he still had to find the courage to do it ...

to take that "leap of faith".


Moments of Silence

We can all benefit tremendously by regularly choosing
moments of silence in our lives.

Our lives can become very busy with seemingly no
time for ourselves.

Developing the daily habit of consciously creating
some quiet time for ourselves can truly be life
changing.

It will help you to connect more deeply with your
heart-your intuition.

This will be of great value to you. Your direction will
feel more clear.

Minimizing the "noise" in your life and increasing the
silence will help you to become more aware of the
silent messages that surround you.


Minimizing the noise ...

Let's take a closer look at some of the "noise" that may
be in our lives.

Being more aware of our habits will be the first step
towards consciously creating more quiet time for
ourselves.

Consider some daily choices of ours that we may not
give much thought to. Choices that may be simply
"out of habit".

We'll start with reflecting on the amount of time we
choose to spend with our electronics. Of course this
will vary from day to day.
So let's focus our attention on
what we do in general.

By electronics I'm referring to ...

television
video games
cell phones
computers (internet)
cd players
radios
ipods

All great tools for communicating,
learning and entertainment.

All fine in moderation.

We just need to be more conscious of the amount of
time we are choosing to spend here.


Let's ask ourselves a few questions ...

Is it positive quality time well spent?

Is it sometimes just out of habit?

Does it have a negative impact on some of
our relationships with others?

Does it feel as if our "energy" is being drained?

Is it keeping us from healthy interactions
with others?

Allow me to share what I feel are some examples of
unnecessary "noise" in our lives.

Surfing on the television or the internet in an attempt
to find "something" to occupy our time. (maybe even
while talking on the phone)

Getting involved with a long, drawn out, meaningless
conversation of
blah ... blah ... blah ...

Spending hours upon hours playing video games or
sitting on the computer.

Flipping from one radio station to another
or listening to the meaningless commercials.

I've seen people driving, listening to music AND
talking on the phone ...
all at the same time!

Too much noise!!

Again, there's nothing wrong with utilizing the tools
of modern technology.
What I'm talking about is taking a closer look at the
"noisy" choices that sometimes develop out of habit.

There's nothing wrong with a lengthy telephone
conversation with someone you haven't spoken with
in a long time or who you really enjoy exchanging
"good" energy with.

But, it can be the gossip and the negative energy that
can wear on you.

It's not what you do some of the time, but what you
choose to do most of the time that counts.

A few things to consider ...


It's ok to drive in silence

just because you own a cell phone, it doesn't need to
be "on" all the time.
(you're not "on call" unless you choose to be)

you don't need to turn on the television as soon as
you wake up, or right when you
walk in the door.

and ... you definitely don't need it entertaining you as
you're lying in bed,
right before you go to sleep.

please ...

please ...
minimize the noise.

Just try it ...

You'll be glad you did,
as you begin to enjoy
more of the silent messages
around you.

Let's talk about creating or simply
allowing moments of silence into our
lives.


Nature ...

Spending time in nature is a great, very natural way to
enjoy moments of silence.

This could be as simple as spending time
in your own backyard
(depending how quiet it is)
or
at a park going for a walk in the woods, camping,
hiking.
More choices include spending time at the beach, by a
river, pond, or stream.

There's just something about spending some quiet
time in nature that seems to connect us to the "bigger
picture" ... the universe.

If you feel the need to take your phone with you, try
to leave it turned off. Otherwise, leave it at home. It's
ok - they'll leave a message.

You may notice that after you've spent some time
relaxing quietly in nature, that you will feel more of a
sense of calm.

Sometimes, you may suddenly have a revelation as to
how to handle a situation that you've been...