18 Dec Lessons from Silence: Perfectly Ordinary. Perfectly Extraordinary

As the holiday season unfolds and the new year approaches, I’ve been reflecting on something deeply personal that I experienced during a silent retreat at Spirit Rock.

One of my dharma teachers, Vinny Ferraro, shared a piece that has stayed with me—a passage by Amy Krouse Rosenthal from Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

In the stillness of the retreat, stripped of distractions, this simple yet profound piece reminded me how often we overlook the beauty in the everyday.

It struck me how easily the noise of entrepreneurial life—deadlines, meetings, constant decisions—can cloud our ability to see the gifts in our ordinary moments.

Vinny read this aloud, and I want to share it with you:

“When I am feeling dreary, annoyed, and generally unimpressed by life, I imagine what it would be like to come back to this world for just a day after having been gone. I imagine how sentimental I would feel about the very things I once found stupid, hateful, or mundane.

Oh, there’s a light switch! I haven’t seen a light switch in so long! I didn’t realize how much I missed light switches! Oh! Oh! And look – the stairs up to our front porch are still completely cracked! Hello cracks! Let me get a good look at you.

And there’s my neighbor, standing there, fantastically alive, just the same, still punctuating her sentences with you know what I’m saying?

Why did that bother me?

It’s so… endearing.

How simply perfect to be back in this world again, breathing, noticing, appreciating. How perfectly ordinary.

How perfectly extraordinary.”

Sitting in silence, I realized how often I rush through life without pausing to notice the cracks in the floor or the hum of my laptop—moments that would feel precious if I were given just one more day.

As we move into 2025, I invite you to reflect on this: What might shift if you approached your work, your relationships, and even your challenges with a sense of awe?

Steps to Bring Gratitude into 2025

Here are a few ways you can embrace this mindset as you prepare for the new year:

1. Pause and Reflect.
   Take a moment to notice the small, ordinary things in your daily life. What purpose do they serve? How do they enrich your work or relationships?
2. Reframe Frustrations.
   When you feel annoyed—whether it’s at a slow email response or an unexpected detour—ask yourself:
   • What lesson might this moment hold?
   • How would I view this if it were my last day?
3. Celebrate Small Wins.
   Before 2024 ends, reflect on the small victories you’ve achieved this year. They might not seem monumental, but they’re the building blocks of your growth.
4. Practice Daily Gratitude.
   Each day, write down three small things you’re thankful for. As I learned during my retreat, gratitude shifts our perspective and reconnects us to the present.
5. Set a Focused Intention.
   Instead of overloading your goals for 2025, pick one small habit or mindset to cultivate. Incremental progress creates momentum for lasting success.

Lessons from Silence

My time at Spirit Rock reminded me that the holiday season is more than a time of celebration—it’s an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and prepare for the new year with mindfulness and intention.

As entrepreneurs, we often focus on the big moments: securing clients, scaling businesses, or launching products. But it’s the small, ordinary steps we take each day that create a life of meaning and purpose.

Let’s walk into 2025 with eyes wide open, ready to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Your Next Step

Let’s explore how mindfulness and intention can shape your entrepreneurial journey in the year ahead. Schedule a complimentary discovery call here: Set Up a Discovery Call

Wishing you all the very best always and happy holidays!