Practices

Personal development was once all about adding new items to my life. I really did need to read yet another book, tune into yet another podcast, pick up one more skill, formulate another objective – and find even more inspiration. There constantly appeared to be some other thing that would make me wiser, far more productive, or considerably more accomplished. Finally, though, I started seeing just how rarely I provided myself with sufficient quiet time to truly digest everything I’d taken in. My days very often got quite full of chats, alerts, tunes, films, social media, work, and evermore data. Even whenever I was literally by myself, there was typically some kind of background sound vying for my attention. I began pondering if continuous stimulation was really assisting me develop further – or merely stopping me from really listening to myself. That query changed the whole manner in which I started considering silence itself.

Nowadays, I consider silence much less empty space – and much more room. It actually makes space available for thoughts we commonly overlook due to our constant distractions. Whenever I take time out to be free from amusement or relentless input, I start seeing feelings, doubts, concepts, and anxieties that I might have actually pushed aside unintentionally. Silence can feel pretty awkward at first since there isn’t anything apparent for my mind to escape to, yet this unease might be rather valuable indeed. It lets me get to know myself better – before I react impulsively to external stimuli again. I don’t think personal development calls for isolating oneself – or turning our backs on technology, communication, or enjoyment altogether. Rather, I see quiet time as a vital equilibrium.