Stillness
I recently heard an interview with Ryan Holiday, author of a New York Times bestselling book, Stillness is the Key. It is not often that interviews of this type give me cause to pause...but this interview did! I intend to put Stillness is the Key on my list of “to read” books this summer.
Holiday stresses that “Stillness” is a necessary and intentional state that one must make deliberate efforts to achieve, if true success and happiness are met. Stillness is a state of finding a place of focus, absence from distractions, and to sit quietly in reflection. The author, while researching the premise of his work, found that all great leaders found a way to slow things down, block distractions out, and do deep thinking and self-reflection. One’s best work and finest accomplishments, says Holliday, is performed when “stillness” is used as a deliberate leadership strategy.
How often do we have the opportunity to sit in a room alone or find true solitude with ourselves without the distractions of other people or devices? Therefore, we need to proactively seek times during our week to create the opportunity to think within the solitude of Stillness. We need to build this state around us because while actions and accomplishments are praised and desired, thinking and reflection is a necessary and obligatory prerequisite to true personal and professional success. Following the well-known “80/20 rule,”A 80% of our productivity will flow from the 20% of deep Stillness reflection time with ourselves.
We do our best work, come up with better solutions to problems, and achieve greater clarity when we gift ourselves with Stillness, several periods a week.
Choose a problem, issue, quandary, or an idea or thought, and find your best Stillness spot. Perhaps this is during a quiet walk, or sitting in place of nature, or at the ocean. Focus and let what is on your mind percolate for 30 minutes or an hour. You can be sure that you will avoid impulsive actions, find resolutions to dilemmas, and come up with many great, new ideas!
