330. be curious
Be curious, not consumed. There is no competitive edge to consuming the same stuff as everyone else. While the endless bombardment of media messages have no real power over what we think, they definitely do influence what we think about. And in this world of commotion, where competition for attention is everywhere, it is silence that offers us what we’ve been after all along — a way to make sense of the world. So, turn off. Go silent. Focus. Let your curiosities dictate your moves, instead of what is being sold as the popular idea. Search through different and competing sources. Explore new ideas and methodologies. Connect the dots that make that most sense and develop a new way to look at the world because if you don’t do it for yourself someone will do it for you.
181. silence
It’s only in silence that we can truly hear ourselves.
When our mind is quiet, there is a reckoning. What arises within that void, sometimes painful, uncomfortable, or challenging, is what holds the key to unlocking the next version of ourselves. We need to bring our attention to whatever comes about in those times of silence. Exploring those manifestations will allow us to overcome the challenges they continue to create and fully experience the feelings we continuously try to distract ourselves from.
“Being silent,” as Lori Gottlieb put in her book Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, “is like emptying the trash.” When you stop filling up your empty spaces with shit that doesn’t matter — input from friends/family, social media, news — you can begin to see what is truly important.
Pay attention.