It was Monday, which, in our world, means meeting day. The kind of meeting where you go in prepared, hopeful, maybe even slightly caffeinated…and then, five minutes in, you remember: oh right, it’s that kind of Monday.
The conversation loops.
Feedback doesn’t sound like feedback.
And somehow, everything you’ve already done still needs to be redone.
Usually, we try to explain.
To defend our work.
To make sense of what doesn’t make sense.
But today, we tried something new.
We decided to just – listen.
Stepping Back (and Staying There)
So we logged into our usual Monday meeting.
The boss started talking.
Normally, one of us would jump in – clarify, correct, smooth things over.
But this time, we didn’t.
Even when the boss said something completely off —
“We need to update that file in Excel.”
(when the file was, in fact, in PowerPoint)
Or,
“We should include this number that’s already in slide two.”
We just nodded.
Smiled politely.
And said, “Noted.”
It wasn’t passive. It was peaceful.
Because stepping back didn’t mean giving up,
it meant letting go of the urge to control everything.
The Liberation of Silence
What happened next surprised us.
The more we stayed quiet, the more our boss kept talking.
And talking.
And talking.
At some point, we looked at each other (virtually, of course) and realised something, we were completely calm.
We weren’t frustrated.
We weren’t anxious.
We were detached observers in a corporate documentary.
It felt… liberating.
Choosing Energy Over Ego
There’s a certain freedom in not needing to be right – especially when being right changes nothing.
It’s not about disrespect or disengagement.
It’s about conserving energy for things that matter – your work, your peace, your sanity.
Because sometimes, arguing over whether the sun rises in the east or the west doesn’t make the sun move – it just makes the day feel longer.
So we let it rise wherever it wanted.
And the meeting ended on time.
A New Kind of Monday
We logged off with a quiet smile, the kind that comes when you realise you don’t have to fight every battle.
Maybe this is what growth looks like.
Not louder, but lighter.
Not more assertive, but more aware.
It turns out, peace at work doesn’t come from control.
It comes from knowing when to let go.
With clarity,
— Elian Sage🌿
theslowedit.org