Holidays are difficult for those of us who measure our self-worth through our work. We become so used to proving our value day in and day out. Then, suddenly, we’re faced with two weeks of wide-open space on the calendar. Like a train stalled atop the rails, life creeps to a halt and work along with it. This slowness gives way to restlessness.

It’s very important to sit still amid this restlessness. We will be tempted to keep busy, to do more and to prepare for the year to come. Instead, we should be present. We should be present with our family. We should be present with our friends. We should be present with ourselves. Through this presence we will see that we are more than our work, our output, our following, our salary, our title or our latest achievement. We will see that we are friends, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, spouses, fathers, mothers, lovers, thinkers, bakers, artists, readers, storytellers and citizens of the world.

Once the train starts moving again, perhaps we will find a renewed sense of energy as our relationship with our work has changed for the better. We will be less reliant on our work to prove our worth, which might allow us the space to enjoy our work for the sake of the work itself. Or, find work that we enjoy elsewhere. This shift can only happen by staying still amidst the restlessness; by being present during the quiet without looking towards distraction.

In the words of the composer Leonard Bernstein…

“Stillness is our most intense mode of action. It is in our moments of deep quiet that is born every idea, emotion, and drive which we eventually honor with the name of action. We reach highest in meditation, and farthest in prayer. In stillness every human being is great.”

I adore that last line. It’s one I’m holding close to my chest as we collectively inch towards the end of another year. In stillness every human is great. So, let’s be still. Let’s be great.