Stillness Is The Key

I recently finished reading Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday, which essentially states we all need periods of stillness and silence to be able to grow. The best happens as we go inwards and converse with ourselves.

It’s an interesting book that sent me on a wild quest to learn more about stoicism, buddhism, and the modern philosophers. What a rush of information! There is so much more out there about silence and inward contemplation that I want to learn.

The one thing that resonates with me throughout the whole book is that, especially now, as we are overwhelmed by modern life, the uncertainty of current times, and the amount of information we are required to to ingest on a daily basis, the power of stillness is something that we need to start seeking and learning. Sounds simple, but it’s proving to be very hard.

I wrote in Open Spaces that I still seek those open spaces by the mountains, even when I can’t climb any more. That’s the perfect example of what I’m talking about. Whenever I go to one of those open spaces, where it’s just nature and me, nothing else, the mind slows down, and in doing so it’s able to see the whole picture, find solutions, discard noise that is not needed, and overall regain control over the self. Well, at least in my own way of seeing this.

I went looking for other books from the same author, to see what else I could find that may lead me to more research and knowledge seeking. I found The Obstacle Is The Way, and The Daily Stoic. The first one is yet to arrive, but I’m looking forward to reading it. It's essentially how to thrive in adversity and make it work for you. The second one is simply a great way to start the day. Each day has a quote from a Stoic, about a specific topic, and so far has given me so much to think about that is simply awesome. This book sits on my desk, and as I open the computer to start working each day, the first thing I do is look at this quote of the day.

“Where the head goes, the body follows. Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.”