Sitting Still to Move Forward

What do you do when you have done all the right things but your:

• Habits won’t stick

• Planning is absent

• Output is nonexistent

• Thoughts are veering negative

What do you do when you are facing a personal mastery-based problem?

Recently I read Ryan Holdiay’s book Stillness is the Key and I think this insightful tome holds the solution.

The answer is: Reflection

An internal calm trumps external turbulence.

No matter what situation you are facing, even up to death, an internal sense of peace and purpose will help you to manage what is happening in your life.

Typically the first thing we do, as those who are pursuing personal mastery, when we face a problem is research how to fix it (I am guilty of this too) thinking that the perfect solution lives somewhere in the endless sands of information.

The problem is that more information is more information and more uncategorized information is mental clutter.

We need insight to find the solution to our problems.

More inputs don’t make you more insightful.

More reflection does.

To winnow the signal from the noise and find what we need (either from internal reflection or better-directed external research), we need two things: Unstimulated space and time.

Unstimulated space allows us to examine our thoughts and patterns of action without them being contaminated by interference

We need time because some insights need to be slow-cooked rather than microwaved.

Wisdom comes through this time as we synthesize different discrete bytes of information into something more usable and continuous.

The best way to obtain unstimulated, empty space and time daily is through regular, daily instances of solitude.

These do not have to be long, drawn-out periods of monk-like, stoic stillness.

They can begin with 5-10 min sitting with only a pen and paper to catch your ideas and clear your mind.

Warning:

This will be very difficult at first but keep on trying! It will become easier and more natural with repetition

Lastly, remember that silence, stillness, and reflection are not the answers.

They are where you FIND the answer.

We still must place our insightful, introspective solution into practice in the physical world.

Slow down, observe, and use solitude and reflection to find your exit.

Then pour everything you have into it.

In Mastery,

Matthew

P.S. Opening my calendar up my calendar for 3 more clients over the spring.

If you are interested in increasing your productivity, discipline, and personal mastery, click here to book a call with me and see how you can!