Don't just do something, stand there.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t just stand there, do something.” It sounds like a call for action, a reminder to get to work, get things done. But, could it actually be a call to miss the present?
A friend recently shared with me that he took his small children to an amusement park and for the first time he stood in awe and appreciated the many exciting rides and the ton of fun his children were experiencing.
He said, “I had been to that amusement park many times before and was only focused on rushing from one ride to the next. I had missed the main point of the park—amusement!”
In life, there is a time for “doing,” but just as importantly, there is a time for simply “being.” Between work and home, and family and friends, and all the activities in between, in can be easy to forget to take the time to stand still and take in the beauty all around us. Standing still allows us to be fully present in the moments that shape our lives.
So, instead of, “Don’t just stand there, do something,” perhaps the phrase we really need to hear every once in a while is, “Don’t just do something, stand there.” After all, being is just as important as doing.